Arcane Sniper [Matan’s Shooter]

I can’t just die for the paleos, right?”

There’s certainly logic in his words.

However, accepting such behavior now was something Leeha simply couldn’t believe. Even just hearing about it from Kijung made Leeha’s blood boil; had he been there in person, he might have truly blown Lark’s head off.

“If the mystical creatures start their assault tomorrow or the day after… It’s going to be a disaster.”

Leeha was also aware of the developments in Juma City through Shin Nara.

Notable users like Alexander and Lee Jiwon had already gathered there.

The rumor that the paleos might attack Juma City didn’t even take a day to spread.

There’s simply no justification to stop the conflict.

‘I hate to kill the mystical creatures, but we have no choice but to protect Juma City…’

Alexander and Bailephus indeed tried to negotiate with some mystical creatures, but the talks failed.

As for Lee Jiwon, he seemed to be excitedly sharpening his blade.

“This might all be part of Bluebeard’s plan – no, even if it isn’t his plan, Bluebeard wouldn’t just sit back and watch.”

However, even with this in mind, the problem remained.

The paleos’ hearts had already turned. Was there really a way to bring them back?

Even the Ancient Dragon Bailephus, who was respected by the mystical creatures, faced rejection. What could be done to return them to their original place?

“[Myong.]”

“Ah, thank you.”

Leeha, who was fretting over this, was gently nudged by a gelatinous creature.

Before he knew it, Leeha had been moved near the site where the curious beings had landed.

“[Eagle’s Eye]”

Worried that the scope’s lens might reflect, Leeha first used his skill to observe the creatures.

“What are they doing?”

It occurred to Leeha that these beings might not even touch the ground. They were wrapping something on the ground with their tentacles and then taking off into the sky, or they were placing something they already held in their tentacles onto a specific site.

Although the size and shape varied so much that it was hard to identify, what Leeha saw seemed very much “like something from reality.”

“Could it be… delivery – loading and unloading?”

It was as if he was looking at a ‘loading dock’, the resemblance was so striking.

Though the actual purpose was unknown, seeing the busy creatures made Leeha unable to shake off the thought.

“Pfft, what’s this? A monsters’ delivery service – no, not monsters. Um… what exactly is that– Gasp!”

It was then, as Leeha barely managed to suppress his laughter while continuing to observe, that he felt cold metal against the back of his head.

“Don’t move.”

The sudden, unfamiliar voice made Leeha panic.

“What the…? Are these monsters? The voice sounded almost human. Above all, the reason Leeha was shocked was that Jellypong hadn’t given any signal.

Could it be that a mysterious being had approached Leeha from behind and threatened him with a weapon without Jellypong noticing?

If that was true, it meant Leeha’s life was hanging by a thread.

“I had no intention of harming anyone. I was just captivated by a scene I saw while passing by.”

“That figures. I was pretty amazed when I first saw those guys, too.”

“Huh? This voice- Gasp!”

The voice that responded to Leeha belonged to a woman.

And it was a voice he had become surprisingly familiar with.

Just as Leeha was about to turn around, a thick hood was thrown over his head.

Even in this bewildering moment, Leeha remained composed.

No, he was smiling.

‘Nice!’

He knew well enough who those trying to restrain him were.

“Follow me carefully.”

“If you want me to follow carefully, perhaps you could remove this blindfold. It’s hard to see where I’m walking.”

As her voice filled the air, a man’s laughter responded before another man’s voice followed.

“… Certainly, you’ve got guts just like Honey.”

A slight shiver ran down his spine as he listened to Mr. Brown grumbling.

“Honey, huh… They still have-“

Thinking how close their bond seemed, he finally encountered Elizabeth in the eastern part of the New Continent.

“Ha! You didn’t have to go in circles. Do I look that much of a blabbermouth to you?”

As soon as the mask was removed, he gasped for air.

It felt like they had been turning in circles like a maze, but intuitively, he knew they hadn’t gone far. It was merely a trick to make it feel like they had distanced themselves.

Elizabeth’s lips curved into a smile reaching her ears at his words.

“See? Told you, darling! Isn’t he fun?”

… Such a personality would definitely irritate Browless.

“You, you’ve been scolded by Browless a lot, haven’t you?”

As Elizabeth clapped her hands, Brown asked while shaking his head.

He nodded easily to Brown’s question while still quickly scanning their surroundings.

“A cave… If there were to be a cave around where those squid monsters were-“

He recalled the terrain nearby resembling cliffs or mountains.

Although it seemed only about a ten-minute distance, it had taken him over an hour to reach this place.

What could be the meaning behind Brown and Elizabeth’s meticulous hiding of this place? Despite having invited someone over, why go to such lengths?

“Should I just be glad they don’t intend to kill me?”

He had thought so but couldn’t be entirely sure until he felt completely safe, which finally gave him a sense of relief.

“Where’s my dongsaeng? I thought you started at the same place.”

“Oh, Luger? He must be near the place where I fought with Toon. He lacks finesse, so it might take him at least a week more to get here.”

Luger, without any special powers, had to overcome all sorts of terrains using just his physical strength.

It had taken less than two days for him to arrive, but for Luger to reach this place, it would still take much longer.

“Ah, I see.”

“… You saw? Rather than knowing about it?”

He looked at Elizabeth incredulously. His mention of ‘the place I fought with Toon’ was to check if they were aware of Toon’s current state. But to think not only did they know Toon was dead, they had seen it?

“How could we not see it with all the commotion?”

“Wait, then you were near me at that time-”

“Yes, we were.”

Then why didn’t you say anything at the time? He swallowed the question that had reached his throat.

Seeing Elizabeth’s mischievous smile, he felt that asking such a question would only raise his own blood pressure.

In the situation of their current encounter, it wasn’t important to dwell on what had passed.

As he quickly looked around, Elizabeth asked, “Looking for Kyle?”

“Ah, yes. Yes?”

“He’s asleep right now. So, both of us can pay attention to you.”

Hearing his awkward reply, Brown also spoke up.

The end of the cave-like area was not fully visible to him.

If they were using this place as a temporary dwelling, Kyle might be somewhere inside. The light-hearted mood from moments ago quickly turned solemn. Brown pulled another chair over with a resolute gesture and sat down, asking in a low voice, “What did Browless say?”

“You mean the headmaster?”

“Yes. By now, he should have sent a letter at the very latest. Was there no message to relay regarding him?”

There was a moment of confusion.

“A letter….”

Leeha tilted his head slightly.

Both Brown and Elizabeth frowned.

“Damn that adventurer. Did he not say anything at all?”

“You said yourself it might be a possibility. But given our commitment, the Pope himself ought to take a look at it sooner or later. It can’t be buried forever.”

Leeha looked at Brown and Elizabeth with puzzled eyes. Not slow on the uptake, it took him a moment to grasp the topic of their conversation but quickly pieced it together from their dialogue.

“So, you left a letter for Headmaster Browless too?! Well, that makes sense. Hence, Kidd was instructed to guard Browless’ decision-”

“Exactly. If the truth contained in that letter were to come to light, it might put Browless in danger.”

“What- What was in it? If you tell me now, I could-“

Leeha’s question was met with Brown shaking his head. Elizabeth, with a resigned look, silently watched her husband reject the request. She wanted to tell, but if Brown decided it was best not to, she had to respect that decision.

Leeha clenched his fists.

“It wasn’t an easy journey getting here. But then again, you have supported the restoration of Toon from the demonic source. It was enough to consider you enemies from my standpoint. But… I still came. Because I trusted you. Even if it meant risking my death, I felt I had to see for myself since the note you left me indicated to come alone without anyone else. Wasn’t the content meant to be kept secret?”

“You’d die.”

“What?”

“If I were to tell you the content of that letter-”

Brown glared at Leeha with a fierce look.

“-You’d end up dead.”

Even with Elizabeth’s typically playful demeanor, seeing Brown serious like this made Leeha unable to continue.

“Would we even be here if everything could be resolved with words? Do you think we came with such light hearts-”

“Darling!”

Elizabeth sharply interrupted Brown, who didn’t stop. Instead, Brown’s eyes blazed even more intensely, causing Leeha to shiver.

“-the meaning of leaving our country, friends, hyungs in arms—”

“Honey? I told you to stop~” Elizabeth interrupted with a laugh, tapping Brown’s shoulder, causing his expression to shift dramatically.

The eerie intensity on Brown’s face was gone in an instant, like magic, transforming him into the amiable fool of the neighborhood. Leeha, unable to adapt to the drastic change in atmosphere, could only alternate his gaze between Elizabeth and Brown.

“It seems at home… it’s the wife who holds sway.”

Whether it was simply because she was the wife or because she was Elizabeth was unclear to Leeha. What was clear, though, was the need to follow their lead.

“Understood. So, what should I do now? You asked me to come here because-”

“Ah, the matter involving Browless was one of the reasons we called you here. But it can’t be helped. You’ll have to go back.”

Elizabeth said, shaking her head.

Leeha was taken aback.

“What?! How can you say that after I’ve come all this way! And there’s no way to teleport from here-“

“That’s alright, the ‘Hows-hows’ are here.”

“Hows-hows?”

“Them.”

Elizabeth pointed to peculiar life forms flying in the sky outside the cave.

“Monsters, aren’t they?”

“Monsters? If you say that, you might hurt the Hows-hows’ feelings. Anyway, they might look monstrous, but think of them as the ‘carts’ of the New Continent, capable of carrying anything, living or non-living, from one place to another. They’re like delivery workers.”

Brown clarified for Leeha, though it wasn’t something that could be easily understood at first.

“Huh? Squid-like creatures flying through the air as delivery workers?”

“Well, if you look closely, their flight pattern does resemble drones. Like unmanned drone delivery, perhaps.”