Arcane Sniper 721
“Does it feel that good even though you’re receiving a punishment?”
Cardinal Kijung, who violated the sacred rules of the Conclave, was to be recorded as the first cardinal to be punished by Romero, who newly assumed the position of Pope under the name Urban II.
‘Hehe, in the name of the Lord, I hereby punish the exorcist cardinal, so that you may always stand at the forefront against the threat of the Demon King’s Army… Truly, he is no ordinary old man.’
No matter how fearful he was, the punishment of Urban II was to not abandon the battlefield. It was a form of advice and a request, and it was also an expected duty and a personal wish for Kijung, who was already a “Holy Knight” and an “Exorcism Cardinal.”
Leeha activated the crystal ball to immediately move to the Vatican.
Many people Leeha knew had already gathered there.
“You should have seen it. Cardinal Romero, no, Pope Urban II, just stood in front of Tusculani, and that was it, the game was over. Talking about showing his power or something… His priestly life is essentially over.”
“As expected of Kijung! When it comes to guts, he’s a man I recognize!”
“It was extremely dangerous… but well, since it turned out well.”
“Be careful, master Kay. If your head gets chopped off, the citizens of Fibiel will also be in danger.”
Those huddled together to listen to Kijung’s endless feats included not only the members of Byulcho.
The Hwahong guild, accompanied by both Ram Hwajung and Ram Hwajung, as well as the Shin Nara and Sacred Knight Orders were also there to offer their congratulations on behalf of Fibiel.
“Wow, this is truly a feast.”
“Oh, hyung!”
With Leeha’s presence, the festivities naturally rose to a higher pitch.
Passing words of hardship to Kijung, Leeha did not forget his primary task.
“This is the resistance operation plan. There are still some things lacking, but if the Pope approves this, we can execute it immediately.”
“Okay! I’ll go tell him right away.”
Kijung carefully accepted the folder and tucked it away in his bag.
While Leeha was tracking Kaztor’s footsteps, much had also transpired in Fibiel.
The day the trio entered the Mage Division Leader’s laboratory, several things were already finalized: the establishment of the 〈Kaztor Search Party〉 and the decision on 〈New Continent Dispatch Personnel〉! This time, it was a much larger-scale operation than the previous dispatch of a few knight orders to the new continent.
“This time we won’t be left behind! Instead of just sending a few guild members to support Hwajung, we plan to be fully involved.”
“Phew, the full involvement of Hwahong is both terrifying and reassuring somehow.”
“What? We need to aim high for our goal! First, we need to get Hwajung into the top 5!”
Ram Hwajung, more excited than usual, snapped her fingers.
Always showing a thorough and business-like image beyond her years, it felt rather new to Leeha to see this side of Ram Hwajung. Her ability to make precise decisions was clear, as she was now strategizing to push Hwajung one rank higher, considering he was currently in 6th place.
“Are you implying that you plan to challenge Petyr’s ranking?”
As Leeha, who was still clutching his chest, turned to look, a man had somehow slipped into the group unnoticed. Despite the slight shift in atmosphere, Leeha remembered his face.
“Is that you, Cheka?”
“It’s been a while, Ha Leeha.”
“Oh, yes. You recognized me back then.”
Cheka didn’t greet Leeha as if meeting him for the first time.
He was one of those who had early noticed Leeha hiding outside the window during the secret meeting at the Vatican. His movements were different from those of someone like Kidd, reminiscent of Petyr or Bluebeard.
However, the point was not his movements.
“Ram Hwajung, I’ll ask once more. Aiming to place Hwajung in the top five means challenging Petyr’s ranking, doesn’t it?”
His mechanical tone and the ideology reflected in his words made Leeha feel the danger the man posed.
Ram Hwajung locked eyes with Cheka. She had already returned to her usual composed self, not suppressed by Cheka’s presence, but merely startled by his sudden appearance like a jump scare in a horror movie.
“If Hwajung makes it to the top five, it’s only natural that Petyr would drop to rank six, don’t you think?”
Cheka’s eyes lit up at Ram Hwajung’s response.
His long, flowing black coat, whose material was hard to identify, caught Leeha’s eye, as it didn’t flutter despite its weight.
“Hwahong Guild has outstanding power, but I’m not aware of them having enough strength to establish a new foundation in the New Continent. Could it be the infinite funds backing you?”
“What…?”
“I won’t just stand by and watch. I am a citizen of Minis.”
“What does that mean…?”
Ram Hwajung furrowed her brow. Though neither of them gave off a confrontational vibe, as they were in the Vatican plaza, the atmosphere was far from friendly.
If they were outside, Cheka’s remarks suggested he might have already made a move.
“Excuse me, Cheka-nim?”
“Hm?”
“Well, your words don’t make much sense. Isn’t ranking competition natural in Middle Earth? And what does your being a citizen of Minis have to do with Petyr dropping to sixth place? Are you saying you’re protecting Petyr’s rank for Minis’ national dignity?”
“Isn’t that obvious?”
“Hmm, thinking that way complicates things even more. Anyone can see that you seem weaker than Petyr, Cheka-nim. How does it make sense for a weaker person to protect a stronger one?”
Leeha’s Black Bass was slung over his shoulder.
While the atmosphere wasn’t explicitly combative, Leeha couldn’t stay still knowing Cheka’s movements were abnormal, and his statements inconsistent.
‘Jellypong, move slowly… Bring Toon Claw Dagger from my bag as close as you can.’
『Myong.』
Leeha knew that engaging Cheka with brute force wouldn’t work.
If so?
‘Stab him. If it’s a skill-fueled move, just grazing him should be enough to immobilize him.’
Jellypong’s tentacle-like appendage stealthily reached into Leeha’s bag.
Cheka wasn’t watching this. He seemed more affected by Leeha’s direct confrontation.
“Am I weaker than Petyr?”
“What? What are you saying?”
This was not the expected reaction from someone in his position, and thus Leeha was left bewildered. According to Kijung, Cheka was a highly mafia-like figure, willing to do whatever it took to achieve the desired outcome.
But his current behavior didn’t align with that characterization.
The fact that Cheka attended the secret meeting in Aez to protect the king of Minis indicated he possessed a certain degree of skill and status.
‘But what is this? Is he even human?’
As the two men stood facing each other with strange expressions, someone ran toward them swiftly.
“Hey there! Oh, Cheka, you’re here!”
“The Knight of the Rainbow.”
“Lark-ssi?”
Lark gave a simple nod to Leeha and then linked arms with Cheka.
“Cheka? We have our own party. Why are you mingling with the people from Fibiel? Let’s go.”
“I haven’t finished my conversation—”
“Alright, everyone! Leeha, Ram Hwajung, you’ve all done a great job! Make sure to congratulate Master Kay for me! And I hope there will be another opportunity for you, Ram Hwajung. Oh, by the way, Leeha, you might want to put that dagger away. No need to escalate things on a good day. Okay? Bye now!”
“—Wait—a minute—”
Lark rambled energetically and dragged Cheka away. Despite trying to say something to Leeha and Ram Hwajung, Cheka did not resist.
‘Did Lark say something to stop him just now?’
Leeha saw it. As Cheka, who was resisting, suddenly became docile, Lark’s lips were moving slightly.
Had he told him to stop? But would Cheka, a man of such a stubborn character, really stop just because he was told to?
“Who is that guy? He’s so irritating. It’s like he knows everything about our guild.”
“He probably did investigate us.”
“Huh? Who is he anyway? I’ve never seen his face in the Outsiders List.”
“I don’t know. But he’s definitely a user. More like an outsider… Anyway, he’s someone Lark sent as a ‘helper.’”
Ram Hwajung was visibly upset. It was understandable; some stranger had insulted her guild and her sibling.
“Ugh, it’s so annoying. We’ll just have to show our strength on the New Continent to make sure that guy regrets it.”
“Hmm, do you have a plan? What he said wasn’t entirely wrong. The New Continent is essentially a battlefield. It won’t be easy to grow through administration or commerce alone.”
Even though Jasung is relatively high-level and has support troops exclusively for Ram Hwajung within Hwahong, it’s still insufficient.
Ram Hwajung was well aware of this. She had realized it painfully during her negotiations with Shin Nara earlier.
“That’s exactly the problem. If I had a proper position, I might be able to contribute, but it’s hard to take any action. The so-called ‘Kaztor Search Party’ of Fibiel is entirely composed of combat forces, leaving no space for someone like me. Isn’t there any management role available?”
“Wait, what?”
“What’s wrong?”
At that moment, something clicked in Leeha’s mind. A job? A management position?
What was Ram Hwajung’s specialty? What had she been doing in Middle Earth until now?
“Kijung! Kijung!”
Leeha urgently called for Kijung. Kijung, who had been chatting with others a bit further away, quickly ran over.
“What’s up, hyung?”
“Hand me that thing from earlier.”
“That thing??”
“The documents!”
Scratching his head in slight confusion, Kijung pulled out the folder from his bag. Leeha swiftly took it from him and handed it to Ram Hwajung.
“Ram Hwajung!”
“Uh, yes?”
“There’s a job for you. Right here. An important position that only someone with your level of skill can handle.”
『Operation to Establish a Resistance Using the Spirits and paleo of the New Continent: Code-named “Partisan Operation”』
“This… a partisan operation?”
“It’s a blend of ‘paleo’ and ‘Partisan.’ We coined the term ‘Partisan’—easier to remember that way.”
“Hmm, what can I do here?”
Even as she accepted the folder and quickly flipped through it, Ram Hwajung’s expression brightened. She asked what she could do, but she already had a good idea just from a single glance.
“You can do a lot. For instance, a position like this.”
『Organizational Chart』
Supreme Commander
Headquarters Administration and Operations General Manager: 『TBD』
Field Strategy and Tactics Coordinator: Koba (Sacred Spirit of the bonobo paleo)
Leeha pointed to the spot marked 『TBD』.”
“It’s a role overseeing guerrilla operations and necessary supplies from headquarters, essentially a ‘chief manager’ on the human side.”
“Do you think this project will get approved if I take that position?”
“The proposal is initiated by me, and the draft will be done by Kijung—no, master Kay. That’s more than enough.”
(To be continued…)