Arcane Sniper [Matan’s Shooter]

The shield featured a pitch-black skeleton framework narrowing downwards at its edges, each border alive with joints and textures reminiscent of real bone.

On both sides, the bone’s joints created a symmetrical border, filling the center literally with a “bone plate”.

From the broadest parts of a great breastplate piece, an ideal processing was completed, ensuring the pieces interlocked without falling apart.

Intimidating at its borders, the shield’s main defensive region boasted a smooth and robust bone surface, maximizing its efficiency. Leeha marveled at Bottleneck’s craftsmanship.

There was no questioning the skill involved.

‘But no matter how you look at it, this thing screams Demon Army, not Holy Knight. It would be more fitting to call it a Dark Knight!’

The problem lay in a Holy Knight having to wield an item that maximized aesthetic and practical traits.

Leeha wondered if there might have been a way to leverage the black color differently, considering the user’s profession and characteristics, but it felt too late for such thoughts now.

‘It’s surprisingly light?’

Observing Kijung, who was adjusting the shield and moving his arms up and down, Leeha couldn’t help but be amazed. The second in command of Bluebeard, Master Kay of the Dark Knight!

“Pff-“

“The monochrome harmony is quite striking, don’t you think, Master Kay?”

As Leeha barely held back a laugh indulging in needless fantasies, it was Ram Hwayeon who interpreted it in a completely different way.

“Is that so? It does feel a bit awkward-“

“Items of the Templars are generally endorsed by the grace of Ezwen… Following the divine color, pure white is good, but too much white can be boring. It seems like a great touch to me.”

Ram Hwayeon praised Kijung with a thumbs-up, and initially uncomfortable Kijung began to regain confidence, inspired by her words.

Leeha wondered whether Ram Hwayeon’s comment was a mere lip service for information exchange or if she truly possessed exceptional aesthetic sense, but the answer wasn’t straightforward.

However, one thing became clear after hearing Ram Hwayeon’s comment:

“But it really is better than I thought?”

Leeha found himself agreeing with that sentiment.

“Really? You think so too, huh?”

“It doesn’t quite fit the whole Holy Knight name, though…”

Maybe the contrast added to its charm?

Kijung, holding the shield made of dark bones, looked far more dignified and trustworthy than before. Kijung’s expression suddenly hardened while swinging the shield.

“What’s wrong? You’ll make me anxious if you do that.”

Leeha feigned surprise, but nothing in particular seemed to have caused Kijung’s change in expression.

“Hyung, did you read this item’s description?”

“Description? Oh, I heard something earlier but didn’t catch it properly. What’s it say?”

“Crazy.”

“What’s crazy?”

Kijung swallowed nervously.

“No, not you, hyung… this…”

Kijung shook his head, unable to continue speaking.

“What’s wrong with it?”

“If this is what I think it is, then… it’s absolutely insane.”

“So what is it already!”

“Let’s test it! I’ll let you know after the test.”

Kijung frantically pulled out a crystal ball, but Ram Hwayeon’s hand stopped him.

“Exorcism Cardinal?”

“…Ah, the conclave! Ahhhh! I want to get out of here quickly!”

Ram Hwayeon expressed, once again reminding us of her inability to leave the Ezwen Monastery for days.

Leeha was freshly curious about why Kijung was making such a fuss, but Kijung wouldn’t tell.

“I’ll test it and then I’ll tell you.”

He just kept repeating.

“Fine. I am curious but can’t help it. I must be going now.”

“Where to?”

“The New Continent. I have to explain the Resistance movement to the paleos. Since the Pope is not around, it can’t be done right away, though.”

“Then you should pray as well.”

“Pray? What prayer?”

Leeha tilted his head as Kijung spoke. The plan to organize the paleos into a Resistance was a proposal that Kijung, the representative of the users, had to submit to the Pope himself.

Of course, with the Pope’s position currently vacant, nothing could be done about it.

But prayer? What was there to pray for?

“That Romero will be elected as the next Pope.”

“Romero? Oh, right, voting. Haha, but wouldn’t that mean voting for yourself? I’ll have to scream at you.”

Leeha joked, laughing, but Kijung did not take the jest lightly, his face grave. The probability of Kijung being elected Pope in the current conclave was close to 0%.

However, Kijung had another reason why he couldn’t just laugh it off.

“It’s not a laughing matter. If Romero is not elected as the next Pope… much of the New Continent issues will be ignored. A Resistance? Such a proposal would likely be discarded immediately. The ‘search team’ that Ram Hwayeon-ssi spoke of might also be completely annulled.”

Listening to Kijung’s brief explanation, Leeha’s eyes widened.

There was a cardinal who argued that, due to the Lotzak/Kaztor issue causing national decline, the focus should not be on the practically non-threatening New Continent but on consolidating the core of the Old Continent first.

“Chairman of the Nine Cardinals’ Committee-“

“Day”

The chairman of the Nine Cardinals’ Committee, ‘Tusculani’.

“With how much influence that man has in Ezwen… It’s not good to mention his name recklessly and get marked.”

It was only after hearing Kijung’s words that Leeha slowly nodded.

The moment Lotzak was revealed as Kaztor, the individual present at that conference room was also someone Leeha vividly remembered.

This too was a grand quest given to the users of Ezwen. If Tusculani becomes the new Pope?

Leeha had to shake his head at the terrible imagination. First, the [Divine Staff] would be ended.

Second, Ghibrid would regain full strength, and third… Bluebeard, unfettered by anything, would begin to spread his wings.

“Naturally, he will search for another dormant Demon King’s Fragment! But that’s not all. The threats are endless!”

To say there were no real threats in the New Continent was something only those who had never set foot there could say. The biggest reason the Old Continent could regain peace was because “A significant number of monsters, including Bluebeard, are running wild in the New Continent! And if they aren’t stopped there- they will come to the Old Continent. By then, it would be too late for regrets.

“Possibilities?”

“Not favorable. No matter how positive we think, cardinal Romero’s faction is only about 20%. Even though priests and bishops who have seen battle support Cardinal Romero, most of those with the actual voting power, the cardinals, haven’t even been to the New Continent. It’s not the time to be making jokes about voting for yourself.”

Kijung, who had not been roaming around Ezwen as Holy Knight for long, had quickly grasped the power dynamics.

Of course, this was possible thanks to the help of Fernand, an exceptional user from Ezwen, and Ram Hwayeon with her excellent network of information.

“Can we turn it around?”

“I don’t know. That’s why… we need something significant. Something that can make them truly feel the threat of the New Continent…”

Kijung clenched his fist in disappointment and let out a sound as it collided with the air.

“Okay, got it. Looks like we have to head to the New Continent,” Leeha said, casually leaning his chin on his hand.

“Right? What can an hyung do, after all? Let’s just pray together.”

“That’s something unknown.”

“What?”

“If there’s no way, we have to make one.”

Leeha took out the crystal ball and activated it.

“That’s how I do things.”

Swoosh…!

As Leeha vanished, Kijung tilted his head, puzzled about what he was planning to do.

“What did he just say?”

Ram Hwayeon didn’t hear Kijung’s question. Her mind was filled with a single thought, “How unnecessarily cool, causing such a stir.”

How could she hide her flushed cheeks, heated by Leeha’s parting words, from Kijung? That was her only concern.

“Definitely reckless.”

Many of the knightly banners that once fluttered around Juma City had vanished, showing significant departures. Considering that not long ago, there was not enough room inside the city walls, forcing people to set up makeshift camps beyond them, it was evident how many knights had returned home following the Kaztor incident.

“It’s a spectacle of human nature, isn’t it? Immersed in their own interests without knowing what truly matters.”

“Don’t be so cynical, Blaugrunn-ssi. Such is an inevitable aspect of group life and society,” Leeha said, countering Blaugrunn’s grumbling, albeit still feeling a sting in his heart.

After all, hadn’t he too suffered tremendous pain because of that selfishness?

“Humans are on the other side too. Gathered for the same reason, it’s complicated… This damned game.”

After surveying the situation in Juma City, Leeha went to check on the “Divine Staff” first.

“Hmm… Eleven people? Just one more than two parties. Not enough for a raid.”

Near the Divine Staff, merely eleven people were guarding, a dramatically reduced number compared to the previous contingent of up to one hundred and fifty knights on duty.

“Did you come here after receiving the quest to protect the [Divine Staff]?”

“Party up? What level are you? Ah, have I seen you somewhere… Ah, Leeha? It’s Leeha!”

The users, rather than keeping guard, were chatting in small groups. They recognized Leeha immediately and approached him.

Any user who had participated in the battle against paleos would never forget Leeha’s face, the man who silenced Alexander, Lee Jiwon, and paleo with a single bullet, captured Lark, and pacified mystical creatures to send them back.

Leeha gathered various information from them and returned to Juma City. Among the eleven, only about three belonged to the knight order 1.48%, and the rest were in Juma City to take up the quest to guard this place.

“Guarding, huh?”

The users, huddled together in idle chatter, how could they possibly protect anything?

“Well, better than nothing. It would be a relief if they could at least rush to Juma in an emergency.”

One thing was clear, though. The situation in the New Continent was much worse than Leeha had anticipated.

“The ideal would be to utilize the paleos… But to rope in the paleos, we need the power of the [Holy Knight].”

“I was planning to explain the idea and have Kijung get an official dispatch from the Papacy the moment the conclave ends. But the moment the conclave ends—”

The possibility that all human alliances could withdraw from the New Continent was a scenario that had to be considered!

“Aaaaah… What can we do if there seems to be no way?”

Seeing the severity beyond his expectations, Leeha felt utterly disheartened. The only possibility was to revive the paleos.

“Not as a resistance, but to attack Juma City once more? Not too aggressively. Maybe then the knight orders would have to dispatch urgently. But if, by doing that, paleos or a mystical creature ends up dying, that would be problematic.”

What Leeha wanted was a ‘performance’ until the conclave ended. However, if there’s a hothead who can’t distinguish between performance and reality, there’s also a chance for a significant incident.

“And it’s not like there’s only one or two of those fools.”