Matan’s Shooter

“I wish to be on good terms with Ha Leeha, but here he is, pushing me away. Anyway, what should I do about this ‘kinship’? Is there perchance a spot available?”

“Ah, really, Lark!”

“Well, if I’m curious, I should be able to ask, right?”

“Ha ha ha ha!”

The sound of Bahamut’s laughter exploded around them.

Lark and Leeha could bicker no more.

“Fine. I shall leave. Ah, and you are.”

“Ki, Kijung- no, I go by Master Kay, Dragon-nim.”

“Right. Master Kay. That was quite the striking feat. I don’t usually care for those Popes flexing their authority, but you, I find interesting.”

What does he mean by doing his best?

Kijung gave Bahamut a crooked salute, unsure of his own words.

“Then, I shall take my leave. Blaugrunn.”

[Yes, my lord.]

Bahamut offered Kijung a benevolent smile and then disappeared with Blaugrunn in an instant.

“Captain! Are you okay?! What happened?”

Lark was approached by the Virtue Knights, who had failed to grasp the situation from a distance.

“Sigh, I don’t even know if I’m okay or not.”

“It wouldn’t be okay if you were. You’re not supposed to be okay.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“There’s a place we need to go from now.”

Leeha cocked his gun, making a clicking sound, and the Virtue Knights assumed battle positions in unison.

※ ※

The attitude as if the fact that they were fighting on the same side just a moment ago didn’t matter at all. It was a stance befitting of the ones who had fought valiantly against the forces of Ranker Faust and Chiyou.

“It seems like a scary place… Can’t we not go?”

“I dislike blood. I’d prefer if you could come quietly.”

“Hmm, what if I try to run away with Juma right now? I can activate the crystal in less than 10 seconds while using our members as a shield. Think you can stop me within that time?”

Lark casually lifted the crystal, though he had not yet activated it.

“You think I can’t stop you?”

“Hmm?”

“Do you think I can’t? I’ll just shatter your crystal specifically. Ah! Don’t move recklessly, else if your head were to explode by accident, that would be troublesome for me. Whether the bullet falls from the sky! Comes from the right! Or sneaks in from the left! You won’t be able to move properly anyway, right?”

As Leeha mentioned each direction, suddenly twisting the muzzle of Black Bass, the Virtue Knights, including Lark, flinched.

It felt like they were playing a game of ‘Simon says’, and Leeha couldn’t help but laugh.

Lark briefly removed the smile from his face and then put the crystal back into his bag.

Next, he picked up his sword.

“Let’s see, my dear. Remember that old man with a bluish mold on his face burning earlier? It seems like our folks can buy us some time now.”

What will you do if I don’t run but use the Red-Sun instead? If the Virtue Knights buy time for me to finish casting, what about you? Can you stop it?

Lark’s words were also understood by Kijung.

“It was wrong to help such a bastard.

[Shield Enhancement]. Come at us, Virtue and your damned fits, I won’t let you lay a finger on Leeha hyung.”

Suddenly holding a shield, Kijung positioned himself in front of Leeha.

“It’s okay.”

Leeha pat Kijung on the shoulder, who was busy buffing himself, and then stepped in front of him again to speak.

“Yeah, the Red-Sun was certainly a remarkable skill. But who do you think really drove out that blue-mold-ridden old man? It takes me less than a second to summon the [Lord] back if you don’t log out. You can’t escape anywhere. Scrolls? Try it. I’d like to see if my fingers move first or if the scroll crumbles.”

Leeha appeared much more relaxed.

He knew of Lark’s formidable abilities.

And despite his annoying tone, he was aware of his incredible insight.

Therefore, he was confident that he could persuade him through words.

He believed Lark would not undervalue his abilities.

“You’re smart enough to know. You’d pretend to listen to my threat just for the sake of it. Isn’t that right, Lark?”

He knew Lark would listen.

Leeha lifted the Black Bassper. He aimed at Lark but didn’t apply any force to the trigger.

“Even if you manage to get away from me, try escaping from the leader of the metal dragons. I won’t stop you. The moment you run, you become my enemy. I will never join forces with you again.”

“Not even to ‘become friends’?”

“Not even as comrades, let alone friends.”

Who is Bahamut? He knows he is the leader of the metal dragons. The advice of such a figure to be on good terms with Leeha. Could Lark really refuse such advice?

Especially considering Leeha’s knowledge about the [Sword] that even Lark himself had not fully grasped. This was the crux of Leeha’s gamble. What if a fight actually breaks out here?

Koma has yet to return to the spirit world. The menacing tentacles of Jellypong remain as fearsome as ever. In comparison, the Virtue knights were a force of 480.

The death of each and every one would be a critical loss of force. And his bluff!

If Lord Bahamut were to return and become an enemy?

‘Virtue would be annihilated. Even if it’s just an ‘excuse’ to get closer to me to prevent that—Lark must listen to me.’

This was Leeha’s calculation.

“Ah, fine, I get it! Even if I am going, let’s go knowing what and how things will be.”

“You’re going to deal with the mess you’ve made.”

Lark asked, and Leeha simply replied.

“… If I throw in my lot, will the mystical creatures go back?”

With just that, Lark grasped the situation, and Leeha did not respond. However, seeing Kijung’s eyes widen, Lark nodded.

“Damn! I didn’t think I’d say this three times… Really, there’s a reason everyone keeps saying Leeha. How did you manage to get such terms? They wouldn’t have listened to humans.”

“Well. It seems like you don’t need to know that.”

“Intimacy? No, if it were just that, there would be quite a few people with it. It suggests there’s something more…”

Snap!

Lark snapped his fingers.

“You’re the one who killed our country’s knights, aren’t you?”

“What?”

“Mystical creature subjugation. You helped the mystical creatures then. You used that as leverage in these negotiations, didn’t you?”

“What are you talking about?”

Leeha calmly retorted.

Knowing about the fight with Bluebeard and Lark’s discernment, Leeha did not fall for his provocation.

Keeping a perfect poker face, Leeha’s unwavering face left Lark unable to dig any further information. Adjacent to him, Kijung’s eyes wavered slightly, and that was it.

“Sure. There’s no evidence anyway. There hasn’t been a single detection of a silence spell reaction. We have no way of knowing. Alright, alright.”

Lark sheathed his sword back into its scabbard.

The finance manager Pung beside him didn’t even have a chance to dissuade him.

“After all, knowing that something like this would happen, that’s why you insulted the mystical creatures like that. Though, I didn’t expect that ‘someday’ to come this quickly.”

“Hmm?”

Leeha tilted his head slightly. He knew something like this would happen? Does it mean he anticipated an attack by the mystical creatures?

As if answering Leeha’s question, Lark continued speaking.

“Not the annihilation of the Virtue Knighthood, but the death of just one person – me. If we can achieve a win-win with that, it’s not like we’re losing anything.”

“Cap, captain! What are you saying-“

“Think about it, Pung. Our achievements in subjugation are not temporary. They don’t disappear just because we die. So, what would happen if peace treaties are established through the death of someone like me, regardless of its kind?”

“If that happens…”

When Pung was stammering, the one truly shocked was Leeha.

His face had changed so much that he could no longer maintain his poker face.

Leeha was the one who answered.

“… Users would be prevented from claiming the [Subjugation] achievement ever again. But… to think I would set such conditions? What, are you some kind of psychic?”

“I never expected you to set such conditions. But if a peace treaty is signed, isn’t it a natural course of action? I couldn’t have known who would lead this negotiation, but whoever it was, if they intended to stop the war, I thought they would use that method.”

“Cra…Crazy bastard.”

“Heh, still, I hope I’m a crazy dude you like. I don’t want to be hated by someone whom the higher-ups have told to get along with~”

Lark showed a little heart gesture towards Leeha. Even as Leeha cursed, he couldn’t deny recognizing him. Just how far does this man’s ‘reading into things’ go?

Death resulting in a level down is a significant penalty. But is it so for Lark?

Lark is not a ranker!

It is unknown what level he is at now, but compared to rankers who have exceeded or are close to level 300, it would be much easier for him to level up.

Losing one level under such conditions to get more than a hundred [Subjugation] is a tremendous exchange gain.

Meaning, from the beginning of earning the [Subjugation] achievement, he had been preparing for such an incident to occur, piling up all the ‘misdeeds’ values onto himself, minimizing the losses for the Virtue Knighthood, and maximizing benefits only!

‘And he came to protect [Divine Staff] too. What in the world is this guy…’

Until coming to the New Continent, he probably didn’t even know the existence of Shinobi-Gumi.

But through this one incident, he had seen the faces of the users attached to the Demon King’s Army, including Shinobi-Gumi. He is a user from the capital defense knight squad of Minis.

Directly putting a bounty on him is something Chiyou would block by all means, but with this guy’s resourcefulness, he would make good use of Minis’ resources.

Then?

‘His position in his country would rise even further. No, maybe by uncovering the secrets of his sword; in partnership with Chiyou, he might find another way to strike.”

Leeha felt a chill.

From the first meeting, it was clear he was no ordinary person, but to think he was this kind of individual.

Plus, considering he caused effective damage to Bluebeard, and even Bahamut recognized his existence as the [Sword], Bahamut’s advice wasn’t only applicable to Lark.

It suggested that Leeha, too, would do well to get along with Lark.

‘He wouldn’t be unaware of that. So, now is the blatantly obvious time to take advantage of that condition. Despite that-‘

[I will follow your words this time, Leeha. It’s my mistake, after all.]

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