Arcane Sniper [Matan’s Shooter]

“Now… is it finally over?”

Lark licked his dry lips.

In reality, the prickling sensation would have made his eyebrows furrow. It took a whopping 8 hours to defeat the three, but it wasn’t a complete victory.

It was merely turning the tide to neutrality, as anything beyond that was impossible with Lark’s power alone.

‘It’s still okay. This should be enough. After all, what matters is the king.’

At that moment, Ewin, who had been supporting Lark all along, spoke up.

“I understand what you’ve been talking about all this time. But is it really worth it? Regardless of Romero becoming the Pope, Fibiel must dispatch a large number of personnel to the New Continent as part of the ‘Punitive Measures.’

We will also come to know about the Demon King’s Fragments while searching for Kaztor.”

Listening to Ewin’s words, Lark nodded his head. The fox on the prairie took a brief pause.

“In that case, wouldn’t it be more practical for us to just obtain that information with a reasonable number of personnel? If Fibiel suffers significant losses on the New Continent, we could possibly absorb and merge a weakened Fibiel.

It would be a bloodless process. Do you really think it’s more valuable for Romero to become the Pope and for us to send personnel to the New Continent at a level similar to Fibiel?”

This was what he was suggesting—the possibility of a bloodless conquest. There might be a chance to absorb every drop of Fibiel’s capital without shedding a single tear, making it a real possibility!

As Ewin finished speaking, the atmosphere in the room changed. The 1480 who had been subdued by Lark regained their momentum, but Lark remained unfazed.

“I didn’t expect General Ewin to say something that doesn’t sit well with you. Hehe.”

“Hmm?”

“I majored in history—no, just a slip of the tongue. Studying the history of Middle Earth… various words come to mind. From small-scale skirmishes to national wars and even massive invasions. Whenever a battle begins, we weigh values greater than life itself. Just like General Ewin does now.”

Lark paused for a moment and locked eyes with Ewin. Despite seeing Lark’s reproachful gaze, Ewin’s expression remained unchanged.

Lark continued, “And when it comes to ending a battle, it is said that life is the most precious thing. Many have seen it. I’m not sure what’s right and how much it will repeat. Therefore, there is one thing we need to think about. If there is no right answer in what we have done so far… shouldn’t it change? There is nothing more important than life itself. Life is the most valuable thing. Hence, we must fight.”

Lark shifted his gaze. The eyes that had been meeting Ewin’s passed by everyone and turned towards the king.

“It’s to prevent those who have ‘ruined themselves’ in the New Continent from being called here.”

It was no longer a matter of persuasion. The expressions of the attendants became stiff as if a lecture had turned into a lecture. Even though it was enough for the arrogant remarks to be made, Lark was not the type to say such things.

“And even if we annex Fibiel through bloodless conquest? Do you think we can stop the Demon King’s Fragments who have crossed over to the Old Continent? Before a proper system is established, they will cross the sea. With the borders to be guarded more than doubled… Can you handle them?”

Lark smiled slyly and looked back at Ewin once more. Who was Ewin?

A veteran who participated in the Second Human-Demon Great War would certainly not be unaware of the fear of the Demon King’s Fragments.

As Ewin fell silent, Lark chuckled once again.

“I think it is General Ewin who has actually fought before who would know best. That’s impossible.”

“Right. It seems so.”

As Lark’s words came to an end, Ewin acquiesced. It was only then that Lark saw through Ewin’s intentions.

‘Well, that’s really quite a remarkable old man. He’s building up his own ‘opposition image,’ too, isn’t he? I heard he wanted to go to the New Continent more than anyone else.’

However, he couldn’t publicly assert it because it would offend the king’s sensibilities.

Therefore, Ewin positioned himself appropriately and deliberately tackled Lark to make everyone uncomfortable with reasonable words. The king remained silent. In the end, it was regrettable for Lark.

“I can’t avoid bringing up this topic. I was planning to save it for a little later.”

He had tried to win without playing a single card, but it seemed difficult to do so against an opponent of the highest level.

“You may find the bloodless annexation of Fibiel appealing, but in reality, Fibiel and the likes can be overthrown at any time.”

“What do you mean?”

“Yes. With the power of our orders, it is possible. Provided that our orders are in their normal state, of course.”

“What do you mean by that, sir Lark?”

“We lions of bravery can overcome any enemy. But isn’t it difficult to catch the parasite within the belly of the beast?”

Oh,

The king’s face lit up for the first time. Not a single person present failed to understand Lark’s words.

“Can you take responsibility for those words?”

“Of course. I am aware of individuals connected to Bluebeard faction and the Minis faction. Moreover… I have come to know that he is still maintaining a certain line with individuals in our royal court.”

“Ridiculous! How dare someone attempt to ridicule their own country!”

The Finance Minister lashed out at Lark, rolling his eyes.

Lark stared back at him.

“Unfortunately, I cannot speak of it here. However… I can swear on my [Sword], Minister Nicholas.”

The room fell silent in an instant. Everyone’s expressions hardened. The king spoke up.

“It must be related to Romero becoming the Pope and capturing the parasites of betrayal.”

“Indeed.”

“Very well. Knight Lark, speak of your desires. What does our country need to do to ensure Romero’s election?”

The king finally nodded. Lark clenched his fist.

With a blend of rational and emotional appeal, the most effective speech one could make to the highest level, Lark managed to deliver over eight hours and thirty minutes of it.

In that situation, he desired only one thing, one person.

“Lend me Cheka. Along with a license to kill.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, the king nodded.

“So, are you dying for it? Really dying?”

Lark, along with his comrades, including Harlow, stood before the leader. Virtue Order, which controlled much of the new continent.

“What about the Commander?”

“Not yet. We need to finish things first.”

Snip, snip, snip.

Nodding his head as if it were no big deal, Lark replied, “Great! So, this time, we’ll be aiming higher than just a captain, right?”

“Of course!”

“As expected, commander Lark!”

His subordinates were delighted as if it was just another day at work. Lark, who was often met with all kinds of insults from others, always received the highest praise from his own men.

Lark smiled as he looked at them.

“But there won’t be any promotions to higher ranks for you.”

“Huh? What do you mean, commander?” asked one of the subordinates.

“I mean this time it won’t be just dispatching the knights. It will be a large-scale mission with the intention of facing the Demon King’s Fragments head-on, involving Fibiel, Shazrashian, and Kraven. We’ll have to either annihilate or almost seal the Demon Lord’s pieces. Only after creating a situation where they can no longer be active, can we return to the mainland,” Lark explained.

“Th-then…”

“Yes, of course, Ewin should become the overall commander. It fits nicely. Isn’t it fortunate? We have also agreed to cooperate with the Paleos in the ‘Coexistence Agreement,’ so there shouldn’t be a shortage of land. We just have to borrow it by offering a reasonable price,” Lark continued.

Seeing their admired superior unable to achieve a special promotion, Lark gave a smile, putting emphasis on the word ‘Coexistence Agreement.’

Realizing that they were the very group that had been on the verge of gaining it, all the members of the Virtue Knights burst out laughing, marveling at the sudden reversal of atmosphere.

However, the voice that reached them was not Pung’s.

“Indeed. Were you drawing such a picture all along?”

“W-what!?”

“Who is it!”

With a sudden voice, all the members of the Virtue Knights drew their swords. How could no one have noticed the presence of someone casting a shadow behind Lark with so many people around him?

Due to this oversight, the Knights could only be more bewildered than necessary.

“Cheka, huh? Nice to meet you. I’m Lark,” Lark casually leaned back, his joking face matching his playful demeanor. But Cheka extended his hand towards the seemingly carefree Lark.

There was no trace of laughter or jest in his demeanor, making it impossible to find any trace of amusement or playfulness.

“Cheka.”

“Hehe, alright, alright. I’ve only heard rumors about you, so I didn’t know much about you in reality. Well then, would you like to come in and talk for a bit?”

“No need for that. I have received the details of the quest you mentioned to the king in full. I just stopped by to assess your sincerity. But if you are painting such a picture… I will do my best in my role as well, as I think it is best for our country.”

Cheka took out a gem.

Is he just going to say what he has to and disappear? Lark roughly understood what Cheka meant by his words, but he felt regretful to send him off like this.

“Wait a moment! Can you handle it well without getting caught? Don’t abuse that ‘license’ too much-“

“I don’t think you called me without knowing about it.”

Shwoosh-!

Cheka’s figure disappeared. Lark smacked his lips.

“Well… no, since I’ve only heard rumors… Of course, they must have called you without knowing about it, you rascal.”

“Ch-Chief? What was that just now?”

Suddenly, no one, not even the users or NPCs, fully understood the commotion that had just occurred. Pung asked Lark, but Lark just bowed his head and quietly hummed a tune.

“The secret police of Minis.”

What is a secret police? Does such a thing exist? Is it an official job or just a nickname?

Pung chattered on to Lark, but nothing entered Lark’s ears. At this moment, there was one word that was the most shocking to Lark upon hearing Cheka’s words.

“But a quest… was that a user? I thought he was an NPC all along.”

In the vast expanse of Middle Earth, there were still many things unknown to all and sundry.

“Why do we have so many people in Minis who play with such distinctive concepts? Are there many naive Europeans here? Am I not also seen that way in the eyes of others?”

Even in his moment of shock, his sense of humor was still working smoothly. While Lark was changing the landscape in Minis, Fibiel’s movements were also quite lively.

The knights of the Sacred Knights, who witnessed the power of Ghibrid, led by Shin Nara, put pressure on nobles and various other NPCs from all angles.

Even the King of Fibiel, who wanted to reduce the so-called ‘Kaztor Search Team’, could not help but succumb to the momentum of Shin Nara.

“But if I were alone, I wouldn’t have been able to do this much. This time… I can only say thank you for entrusting me with this task.”

“I moved for my own sake, so there’s no need to thank me. Rather, I was relieved that Shin Nara moved for me.”

It was a mutual acknowledgment, but the exchanged glances were far from gentle. The women facing each other was Ram Hwayeon ram and Shin Nara.