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“…This? I thought you would publicly burn me at the stake or hang me on a large cross.”

“Ha, that’s something for mythical creatures to do.”

Leeha barely smiled. Lark too, showed a heated smile. There was no need to say it like this. Strictly speaking, Leeha was now altering the story as he spoke.

In Lark’s [Subjugation], neither Chiyou nor the Shinobi-Gumi had any involvement. Knowing this, it was only then he reached out to use that fact to his advantage.

The [Subjugation] itself was purely an act of Lark’s greed. But what good would saying that do?

“Lark can be buried. It’s possible to tarnish the reputation of the Virtue Knights as well.”

There’s a fleeting satisfaction to be had instantly. But isn’t there a way to utilize this situation more advantageously from abroader perspective?

What Leeha considered was to turn [everything] into Chiyou’s fault. By positioning Lark as a relatively innocent victim, and sewing all acts of evil, the origin of malice, from Chiyou’s perspective!

“If only half of what I say is believed by the users… Shinobi-Gumi’s influence in the Old Continent will significantly reduce.”

Of course, the desired effect was not just that.

Leeha: Lark-ssi, you owe me one now.”

Lark: Me, oh… You do like stripping things bare, don’t you? Alright, I’ll note one down for you.”

“Then… let’s go. The mythical creatures have been eagerly waiting.”

“Yeah, yeah. I just hope it won’t be too torturous. Oh, wait. If I knew it would be like this, I should have adjusted the assimilation rate back in Juma City-”

“Quiet. You need to experience some pain too.”

“…That’s too much.”

Leeha, leading the way to the mythical creatures with Lark in front.

Following him were groups including Lee Jiwon, Faye Wu, and Kijung. To the mythical creatures and the paleos, it appeared as if all remaining users were under Leeha’s command.

“Lord Koba! It hasn’t even been two hours yet. Now, Lark-ssi, it’s time for you to pay the price!”

Leeha pushed Lark’s back towards Koba and said.

“Wait a minute! I’m not ready-”

“Damn humans!”

“The most painful way, the slowest, the most certain death awaits you!”

The leading mythical creature, Koba, didn’t even look at Lark.

The red goat paleo’s mythical creature Aibex and the black crane paleo’s mythical creature Hudid bound Lark and dragged him away; that was all Leeha saw for a moment.

“…Forget about that human. But, was what you said earlier sincere?”

Koba only had eyes for Leeha.

“Eh?”

“About joining hands with us permanently… to stand against Bluebeard among the Demon King’s Fragments.”

“If you’re all willing, we have no intention of sparing any resources.”

“Do you have that power? Just like I said before, you are still-”

“I don’t have it. But-”

Leeha brought Kijung to the front.

“-this person does. Or, will have it soon. Saying it in words might not convince you, so why not visit again with concrete evidence?”

At least in terms of negotiation, Leeha could be said to be remarkably astute.

It was because of his experience dealing with the incredibly challenging Browless. Leeha felt thankful to his in-game mentor who helped him understand the nature of the game.

‘Koba is a clever mythical creature, capable of making items. His depth of thought is different from other creatures.’

With that thought, Leeha found it easier to reason.

If it was a mythical creature with intelligence similar to, or exceeding, human intelligence, then the first thing to figure out was what it desired.

“Once the Demon King’s Army is gone, you’ll be able to live more freely, in a ‘much larger land.’”

Then he smiled.

Whenever they felt the demon’s aura, the paleos couldn’t leave their ‘nests’ and had to hide. It was unlikely they wouldn’t be interested in Leeha’s proposal.

But, a sure promise. In essence, the problem was that there was no one to guarantee its execution.

“Leeha…”

Koba quietly stepped forward.

“We don’t trust humans. But Leeha, if you’d do it,”

“Then?”

“I’ll persuade the mystical creatures here.”

Koba reached out his hand.

“Please, I ask of you.”

Leeha grasped Koba’s hand. Somewhere, the agonizing scream of Lark echoed, but among the players watching the handshake of spirit and human with bittersweet faces, none paid heed to the scream. Scream..ng! Ah-…

“Haha, really? I thought the capital was abuzz lately, turns out something happened in the New Continent.”

“Yes. Kidd, it would have been fun if you were there too.

“Bluebeard” was so fast… I couldn’t even chase after him. At one point, I wondered if long-range attacks were completely useless against him.”

“Impossible. It’s just that your slack attack didn’t work.”

“See, if I give you a lift, you always react like this.”

As Leeha patted Kidd’s shoulder, all three of them, including Browless, burst into laughter.

It had been two and a half days since they offered Lark to the mystical creatures as a “sacrifice.”

After logging out, Leeha had a long, restful sleep, then immediately went to the academy in the capital city of Tievial, reporting recent events to Browless.

“Are those friends doing well?”

“Yes. It seemed like they missed the headmaster quite a bit.”

“Miss, what is there to miss. Ah, did they teach you anything? There must be some techniques I don’t know.”

Browless, uncharacteristically, blushed and quickly changed the subject.

Kidd’s expression changed at Browless’s mention of “techniques I don’t know”. Leeha sneakily glanced at Kidd and nodded.

“What would that be?”

“I’m not going to teach you.”

“Just show it to me. I’ll follow.”

“See, I knew you’d say that. Which is why I won’t show it to you either.”

“Have you heard of ‘Silent Shooting’?”

Kidd quickly took a silencer out of his bag and attached it to his Crimson Geckos.

While the jovial mood continued, Browless once again turned to Leeha.

“So, where did they say they were heading to?”

“To the east…”

In the 48 hours Leeha spent learning the ‘Curve Shot’, he gathered a few pieces of information.

One of which was the future whereabouts of Elizabeth and Brown, who said they would stay in the east for about a week before departing.

“To the east? What’s there?”

“If it’s the far east… It might be Toon’s homeland, but they didn’t specifically mention that place. They said they would stay five more days after I left – Ah! That’s until tomorrow. And now… Luger is there. Maybe you’ve heard something more?”

Luger, who arrived at the spot where those people were just half a day ago and much later than Leeha had predicted, must also be quite desperate to learn something from them.

“The east, huh? What about you?”

“I was only told to stay at the director’s side. Because of ‘that letter’.”

“Is that so.”

“Yes. They told me to be especially careful when reading ‘the letter’. They said nothing about its content, just that they could not speak further.”

Leeha emphasized the word “letter” while giving Kidd a look that said, ‘You knew, didn’t you?’

Kidd briefly coughed and turned away.

“It was my quest, so I couldn’t interfere.”

“You wouldn’t even tell me? How stingy.”

“I meant to tell you. Just never found the right timing.”

While Leeha and Kidd quietly bickered, Browless’s expression hardened slightly.

“Eavesdropping?”

“Excuse me?”

“No, it’s impossible that they wouldn’t talk. It’s not like it’s through a messenger… And especially not to you, Leeha, of all people. Neither Elizabeth nor Brown would have kept silent.”

As he listened to Browless, Leeha’s expression gradually changed.

“Could it be? Was someone listening? There were househouses around, but-“

There seemed to be an ‘external pressure’, was that what this meant?

“Hows-hows—Ah, the vehicle-like things you mentioned earlier? No, that can’t be it. If those were devices for eavesdropping, they wouldn’t have chosen such a location in the first place.”

“Ah… Then-“

“It would be closer to long-distance eavesdropping rather than direct listening. I doubt it’s perpetual surveillance. Considering factors like the distance of mana, there’s an issue. It’s not a magic spell that detects specific words. They aren’t weak enough to worry about detection at that level. So, it reacts to something… something fixed… Could it be the situation? A thought? Is that possible? But if not…”

“… I’m not sure what the situation is, but there’s something unavoidable for humans, headmaster.”

“Hm? What’s that, Kidd?”

“Pulse and blood pressure. No matter how one may circle around with words, when trying to convey a meaning, a person’s body can never lie. You can hide your face, but not the heartbeat. If the triggering of eavesdropping magic is conditioned on sudden changes in pulse or blood pressure…”

“I see. In that case, there’s no need to cast magic; an item could do it. Leeha, have you noticed them carrying any unusual items?”

As Browless got visibly excited by Kidd’s explanation, he inquired Leeha. However, Leeha had nothing particular to say.

He didn’t know what kind of clothes they usually wore or what items they carried, so it was impossible to distinguish what was unusual.

When Leeha hesitated and shook his head, Browless’s expression turned to one of disappointment once again.

Kidd, too, sighed deeply. Yet, at this moment, it wasn’t an item but a different idea that occurred to Leeha.

“If the eavesdropping is actually happening.”

“Eh?”

“Elizabeth and Brown clearly said to be careful ‘when reading a letter’. It’s like they knew something.”

“What does that mean?”

“Tomorrow, when the letter is opened at the Vatican—could it be that someone there has set up the eavesdrop?”

Hearing Leeha’s words, Kidd and Browless’s eyes widened. The possibility of eavesdropping, the cautionary advice about opening the letter, and even the direct protective quest Browless gave to Kidd.

The three men were unable to speak any further. The opening of the letter is tomorrow. Who will attend the Vatican? Who should be suspected?

“It can’t be the Vatican… No, that’s madness. How could anyone cause trouble there?”

Yet all evidence pointed that way, hinting at an impending problem.

“Director, I’ll make a quick visit to the Vatican.”

A check was necessary. In a situation with numerous warning signals, to simply think ‘what could happen at the Vatican?’

was not an attitude of a sharpshooter.

“What for?”

“I think it’s best to figure out the attendees and their list for tomorrow’s event.”

Leeha swallowed.

He couldn’t go in. It was a secretive meeting attended by a very few pre-notified individuals. It wasn’t a place where just anyone could attend no matter how close they were.

So, what should Leeha do then?

“Find out where the meeting will be held too. Kidd, you should come?”

Leeha quickly made a suggestion.

-Headmaster Browless, the place that needs protecting isn’t here—it seems, the Vatican, perhaps signifying the event of tomorrow. I’ll go too.

He nodded, got up quickly, and put on his hat.

“I’ll be back, Director.”

“Hm. Don’t overdo it.”

Browless had a rough idea of what they planned to do. With only a day left until the meeting, Leeha and Kidd had to find out the venue and the list of attendees, and also establish the best position to protect Browless.