Arcane Sniper [Matan’s Shooter]

“Hmm~… That pattern on the hat, it looks familiar. The star, resembling the flag of Israel, is trying so hard to look cool with everything it’s got. And the vibe is just nasty.”

A star made of two interlocking triangles with a single dot beside it.

For Leeha, the strange sense of deja vu was there, but he had no energy left to focus on it. The reason was that Fernand had entered, accompanied by a representative from the Ezwen Church Nation and, finally, Browless made his entrance.

It was the beginning.

The Ezwen personnel, viewed from Leeha’s perspective.

On the right side, barely showing their faces, were the representatives of Tuvbiel and the Shazrashian Federation.

On the left, barely visible as well, were those from Minis and Kraven.

Browless took his place at the center of the table setup, which was an inverted pentagon.

Through his scope, between the back of the pope’s head and the “9 Cardinals,” Browless’s face came into full view.

“What are you looking at, Cheka?”

Ewin called out to Cheka, who was gazing outside.

Cheka’s eyes suddenly changed.

“Oh, it’s nothing, sir Ewin. I was just admiring the view. It’s been a while since I’ve seen such an open space.”

“Indeed. To think that even in the presence of His Holiness, the space is this open! The Vatican truly is the symbol of peace and love. If only this peace could last forever, as long as no strange person comes along to disrupt it.”

Ewin spoke louder, nodding his head. It seemed like he was speaking to Cheka, but his gaze was fixed on Browless.

‘… Do you consider me such a person, sir Ewin?”

“Well, how would I know, sir Browless? Today’s gathering might just serve as the verification for that.”

“Let it be, Ewin. Don’t make a scene in front of His Holiness.”

Browless expressed his displeasure, but Ewin did not back down. It was the King of Minis who stopped him. Ewin lightly bowed and closed his mouth.

Browless was essentially receiving hostile looks from everyone present. Despite Ewin’s provocation, it seemed nobody from Tuvbiel intended to defend Browless.

The King couldn’t step in for the sake of appearance, and the captain of the guard was completely ignored except by the King.

“I hope today’s meeting does not solely tarnish our nation’s honor, sir Browless.”

That left no one but Lord Lotzak, who, rather than helping, seemed more interested in intensifying his attacks on Browless.

“You’ve been keeping an eye on me and yet you say that, Lord Lotzak?”

“Watch! Who has been spouting such nonsense?”

“If it’s just my misunderstanding, I apologize.

‘Strange glances’ have been felt for a while now. If I remember correctly, it was a robe with the symbol of Mage Corps drawn on it…”

“That’s appalling! Even if someone from Mage Corps did that, how does it concern you? It wasn’t surveillance, merely a precaution to see if there was any threat to you! Yes, indeed.”

Lotzak quickly changed his tune in a fluster.

“… You seem quite hasty today. I wonder, is there something you shouldn’t let be revealed?”

“Whatever nonsense you plan to spit, watch your mouth, Browless.”

Lotzak’s voice dropped sharply. The glare he gave Browless was sharper than ever.

“I am the head of Mage Corps. Remember, what I say here today can change your situation drastically.”

“Of course, I am well aware, Lord Lotzak. I also know that depending on what is contained in the letters sent by Elizabeth and Brown, the situation of ‘Mage Corps’s Head’ can change just as easily.”

Browless didn’t back down even a step. Although Lotzak’s brow pulsed with veins, that was as far as it went. Causing commotion in a gathering attended even by the Pope was absolutely nonsensical.

Fernand barely managed to close his gaping mouth as he observed the intense nerve battle among the participants.

“Wow, such pressure. So, this is why one can control users like Leeha, Kidd, and Luger in such an atmosphere?”

Then, he glanced outside the window momentarily. He had not received any particular message from Leeha, but Fernand knew well enough that Leeha would be hiding somewhere with a view of this meeting room.

“We can’t let our guard down until we leave the Vatican, but at least no trouble will be stirred up here. All weapons were confiscated, and mana was sealed. Unless a dragon jumps out, it’s impossible.”

From the back of the assembly, facing the Pope, Fernand scrutinized the attendees with an adventurer’s sharp eye. Staying in his current spot was optimal for leveraging his instincts, skills, and experience to sense danger.

“The adjutant by our side has quite substantial holy power too. Even if a commotion arises, creating a barrier would be effortless,” he thought, aware that even the Pope and Browless’s escorts from Ezwen were formidable experts.

Fernand had to shake his head as he briefly looked at one of the attendants, who was glaring at Lotzak with intense eyes.

The scene made even Fernand momentarily flustered as the attendant and Lotzak locked eyes, and Lotzak found himself compelled to speak.

“…It seems the envoy from Ezwen has something to say. Apologies, but you seem unfamiliar to me. Have we met before?”

Lotzak’s words were polite, but his eyes and voice were anything but friendly. Even Fernand could feel the atmosphere of disdain as if saying, ‘You’re not even worth my time.’

“Uh… No, we haven’t.”

The attendant quickly bowed his head. Lotzak sighed and began addressing the King of Fibiel. After enough time passed for pleasantries (or the lack thereof), the Pope finally spoke.

“Thank you all for coming today. May the name of Ahlo bless each nation.”

As the Pope bowed, so did each nation’s king and attendant with due respect.

“I assume no one here is unaware of why they have come, so let us proceed directly to the point. Fernand?”

“Yes, Your Holiness.”

“Would you please show the letter?”

“Pardon?”

Fernand took out a well-sealed letter and raised it high for all representatives to see, including Browless’s attendants from Ezwen. The letter, to an onlooker, seemed unremarkable.

“This letter cannot be opened by anyone other than Mr. Browless himself. Aside from being revealed now, no one else can know its contents, and of course, there’s been no falsification or tampering of any kind—I state this in advance.”

Browless’s eyes narrowed upon hearing Fernand, but they soon relaxed.

“It’s only natural to want to open it. I completely understand.”

How could they have known it was unopenable by anyone else? It implied that Ezwen had tried every conceivable method to unlock it.

Despite feeling a momentary annoyance, Browless realized that wasn’t the focus now. Fernand approached Browless with the letter in hand.

“So, Browless-nim. Do you grant permission to reveal it?”

“Of course. For the honor and fairness of both myself and my comrades, I am willing to allow its disclosure.”

Browless had already mentioned several times to Leeha and Kidd that not foreseeing this scenario wasn’t like Brown.

For the Old Guard’s Three Musketeers, who trust each other thoroughly, there was no further hesitation necessary.

“Let’s reveal it.”

The moment Browless received the letter from Fernand, the seal was automatically lifted. When it seemed like a faint light was gradually gathering in the air, the figures of Elizabeth and Brown, formed out of mana, were already materializing in the conference room’s void.

“Your Majesty!”

The first to react were the king’s guards. The captain of Fibiel’s royal guard immediately wrapped around the king.

Shazrashian and Kraven, too, were part of the guard protecting the king. However, no one in Minis made a move. Both Ewin and Cheka simply sat still in their places.

“Oh!”

“To be able to materialize mana in a mana-sealed space!? How could this be—what method—”

“Didn’t you say that the letter had been thoroughly inspected, Fernand!” exclaimed the individuals from Ezwen, each raising a voice while looking at the letter.

Seeing this, Ewin from Minis was smiling.

“It seems there are interesting things across the sea, Your Majesty. Wonder when you might send me to see them.”

“There’s still much for you here, Ewin.”

“Hehe, of course, that’s true. I was merely suggesting, should the time come… consider it then.”

“I believe you can handle the affairs across the sea even from here. If you truly wish, I can assin trustworthy men at your disposal.”

“Such magnanimity, I am grateful.”

In Ezwen’s shock and in comparison to Minis’s composure, Fibiel was rigid and tense. The royal guard captain, excited to protect the king, and the king, with a stern expression but also stepping back a few steps.

And Lotzak, glaring as if to kill at the figures of Elizabeth and Brown formed in the void. The only person who was completely at ease in this place was just one.

“You guys~.”

Browless was already looking at them with tears welling up in her eyes. = ※ [Brow, hi! Have you been well?]

[Ahem, honey? Though it’s a letter to be announced at a formal occasion, that tone might be a bit—]

[You calling me ‘honey’ and then saying that! Heh, brow, surprised, aren’t you! It’s how we’ve been living these days. Luckily, we’re still living a decent life, right?]

In the vision formed of mana, Elizabeth and Brown began to speak, bickering back and forth. Fernand clenched his lips.

‘As expected… they knew this would be seen by everyone. Then, what could be the content of the letter?’

It couldn’t possibly be a public declaration for Browless to join the Demon King’s Army. Could it be some kind of code that only the three of them would understand?

Or literally, a ‘letter’, intended to convey some information? Fernand was very well aware of the significance of this moment.

‘It would be better to relay this to Leeha-ssi.’

Furthermore, he was conscious that he was the only user present at this event. Fernand wasn’t a user who would foolishly keep his concerns to himself.

[We’re doing well, it’s just a shame it’s only the two of us. What about you, brow? You seem to have raised some interesting characters over there?]

[Hmm, but the ‘Pierce’ was a bit off.

‘Rapid Fire’ and ‘Accuracy’ were somewhat tolerable though.]

[Why, what’s wrong with that? You’re only strict with your dongsaeng. From my perspective, ‘Accuracy’ is also not great.]

Could they have been attempting to discuss the new trio? Of course, that was unlikely. The ‘intellectuals’ present here all understood.

“That it’s a shame it’s just the two of us,” Fernand could also grasp what that meant. It was because Kyle wasn’t visible in the vision.

[You might have guessed by now, but our son is very ill. We had… no choice but to step back 20 years ago to save our son.

[Looking back, it was foolish. The moment we did, we fell into ‘his’ trap.]

The sudden confession from the couple darkened the mood in the conference room.