Matan’s Shooter

“Yes, this is the seating arrangement.”

The seating and location plan within the conference room provided by Fernand!

Kidd quickly scanned it with his eyes.

“The arrangement is centered around the headmaster. The windows are quite large, but it seems difficult to aim from there.”

Leeha was comparing the inside of the map, while Kidd focused on the exterior of the Vatican, each making their comparisons.

From which position, where, and how to cover to ensure Headmaster Browless is most safely protected?

“Certainly, even if I attach a silencer, huh… To get a clear shot, you’d need to be at least this far. The commercial area might help muffle the sound a bit, but I’m not sure if it would reach as high as the third floor. Kidd, what about you? Is a silent shooting range possible?”

“It’s unlikely.”

“Well, it would have to be within a 100m limit, which is already a lot. Then you-“

Suddenly, a new idea flashed through Leeha’s mind. Silent shooting means that even someone right next to you can’t hear the gunshot.

Excluding the ignition noise when the firing pin hits the bullet, it’s almost as if there’s no sound at all. Moreover, it wasn’t a skill that used mana.

“Id?”

“Why are you suddenly laughing like that?”

“Certainly… It seems you’ll have no choice but to protect the headmaster.”

Leeha smiled.

It was uncertain how effective it would be, but for now, there were no other options. After all, it was impossible to protect Browless with long-distance sniping alone.

If the enemy’s identity couldn’t be pinpointed? They had to infiltrate a place they supposedly couldn’t. By whatever means necessary.

The next morning, when Browless briefly stopped by the academy, Leeha and Kidd were already gone.

[“We will be at the Vatican.”]

Discovering the note, Browless sighed and immediately prepared to visit the palace. Finally, the day to open the letters from Elizabeth and Brown had arrived.

The Vatican was bustling from the morning.

Partly because the square in front of the Vatican and the road leading to it were being controlled.

“As expected. I knew it would be like this from morning. Even if it’s done in secret, they wouldn’t teleport directly inside the Vatican.”

“There’s no way Ezwen would allow that.”

Leeha agreed.

So, they thought of setting up a temporary secure passage to use, even if just for a day.

Leeha watched, eating an apple.

“Among those attending this meeting, only Fernand is confirmed to be a player. There’s a possibility that a retinue member coming from Minis could be a player, but… it’s still unknown.”

Middle Earth proceeds with any scenario as long as it involves at least one player. This was something Leeha was well aware of.

Meaning, whether or not Minis’s retinue members were players, the meeting would proceed as long as Fernand was attending.

Moreover, the likelihood of this meeting having a significant impact on Middle Earth’s main storyline was very high. What the risk factor might be is unclear.

However, whatever it may be, Middle Earth was on the verge of a major upheaval. Leeha and Kidd premised their thoughts on this content.

Shwaaaaaaaa shriek

Although completely shielded from the outside view, it couldn’t entirely eliminate the leaking light.

For the first time, the light faintly flashed. As he was enjoying his snack, Leeha promptly set down the snail he was holding.

“Ah, the first guest has arrived.”

He didn’t particularly care which nation had arrived first. After all, one by one, other nations would continue to make their appearance now.

“Maybe I should find a good spot too. Let’s go!”

Black Bass was wrapped up in cloth, rolled up tightly.

Holding the long stick-like Black Bass, Leeha walked slowly. Any suspicious behavior was out of the question.

Even if silencers and subsonic bullets were to be used, the place Leeha had to position himself was atop a chimney of a store located in a commercial area. From there, aiming into the internal workings of the Vatican, it would be unfavorable for him to catch the attention of EZ Users and others alike.

With a relaxed pace, Leeha walked while even humming to himself.

He neither looked around suspiciously nor checked his rear.

This was because he had already checked for any “marked”

individuals before departure using the map.

None of those individuals showed up.

Was it just a false alarm…? Or did they perhaps notice the “marking” and went to their hideout to remove it?

Marking was merely a skill that marks a target within the map. Meaning, the moment they move beyond the boundaries of the zone, it’s nearly impossible to track their whereabouts because it’s unknown which “map” they might be in.

Of course, there’s a way to check every single one, but there wasn’t enough time for such luxury in reality.

More so, if they managed to remove the marking after escaping?

It would be a complete waste of time, engaging in a futile task.

“Jellypong?”

[Mongmong?]

“Launch me up to that building. I need to position myself on the chimney, and the space is going to be very tight. Wait, wait, now… 3, 2, now!”

With a swoosh, Leeha’s body was instantly catapulted into the air.

A challenging maneuver was required to land on the chimney sticking out of the fairly steeply sloped, pyramid-shaped roof, but for Jellypong and Leeha, it wasn’t too hard.

“Good.

[Camouflage]!”

The edge of the chimney was barely wider than the length of a foot. Placing one foot in front of the other, Leeha balanced himself and immediately concealed his appearance.

The secret meeting room of the Vatican was located on the third floor, but nearly no surrounding buildings reached a height of three stories.

As expected, apart from the outer walls for security reasons, the buildings were at most two stories high, making it an impossible position for sniper cover considering the surveillance and security of the area.

“This is the only way.”

Leeha unraveled the cloth around Black Bass and connected the stabilizer, then stood in a shooting stance from the chimney of the two-story building, looking towards the Vatican.

“The distance is about 950m. With the scope-“

Click!

Leeha opened the cap.

“-I see it.”

He then surveyed the interior of the secret meeting room’s window on the third floor of the Vatican.

“My goodness! It’s nearly invisible. Should I prop something under my feet?”

Looking down at his feet, Leeha shook his head. Placing anything on the very edge of the chimney, which was only as wide as a foot, was dangerous.

Rather than risk destabilizing the shot, proceeding as is was safer and more comfortable.

“Still, it’s a bit disappointing.”

Through the scope and beyond the window, all he could see was up to the shoulders. Leeha wished he could see at least from the head to the waist in one glance, but it was impossible to ask for more.

“There’s no better position than this. I have to make my move here.”

He wasn’t one to search for another spot now. Doing the best in the given situation was his way. Leeha started adjusting the scope’s clicks to match the distance.

The door opened, and individuals began to take their seats shortly thereafter.

“The Pope’s entrance… Next is the so-called chairmen, officially known as the ‘Council of Nine Cardinals.’

The chairmen sat next right to the Pope… With four to the Pope’s left and four to the right. The person seated fourth to the right of the chairman is Cardinal Romero. Thus, the figures of Ezwen are aligned, showing their backs to me in a row.”

Leeha was well aware of these figures. He was somewhat surprised that a person well-fit to be the chairman was merely a member, but Fernand mentioned that was precisely why ‘Romero didn’t assume the role of chairman.’To Romero, it meant that there were factions within the Ezwen Papacy itself that envied the concentration of power.

“The Pope wanted to appoint him as the chairman, but it was ignored due to the opposition from the resistant factions, right? He could have forcefully proceeded, but he chose to sit at the back rather than causing a division within the Papacy. Truly a grand figure with abroad heart.”

At least to Leeha, Romero could only be seen in an extremely positive light. Having shared all sorts of hardships to secure “Divine Staff,” and receiving all authority from the Pope, Romero indeed showed kindness by strongly supporting Leeha’s back. To some extent, Leeha considered Romero to be on his side.

“From now on, the people to be wary of are…”

Did all the figures from various countries arrive while Leeha was settling in? As the people from Ezwen took their seats, figures from other countries started to enter. The seats closest to Romero, that is, on the right side of the Pope if facing him, were assined to figures from Minis and Kraven.

“The Fox of the Prairie won’t make a direct appearance… But having his entourage around is problematic. There’s a person protecting the king of Minis, yet no information is available on him. All that’s known is his name.”

Minis’s entourage, “Cheka.”

It was the first time Leeha saw most people from Minis’s side, but he instantly recognized them.

“The Fox of the Prairie.”

The person being meticulously attended to by Ewin must undoubtedly be the king.

“So, that’s Cheka.”

Even in Fibiel, alongside Lotzak who was in charge of intelligence, there was the commander of the king’s guards. Normally, besides those responsible for general tasks or meeting minutes, at least one brain and one brawn were present.

“The case is the same with Kraven and Shazrashian. But with Minis…”

Leeha knew the Fox of the Prairie was formidable, being both an excellent knight and a strategist. But even so, he was just one person.

“It’s unlikely that Minis lacks capable people. Then, how should I view Ewin? As a brain or a brawn?

“The likelihood leans towards brain. After all, he’s Minis’s top strategist.”

If Ewin is considered Minis’s “Brain,” then there must be someone as the “Brawn”…

“Could it be that man?”

Leeha’s suspicion grew. The entourage, hardly recognizable with a hat pressed down far on his face, poorly followed the king.

“I’ve seen Fibiel’s entourage a few times myself. He was literally a ‘secretary who works incredibly hard.’

But Cheka… No, it’s tough to judge by appearance, but something’s off.”

Yet, it was difficult to come to an easy conclusion. Considering the security for a secret meeting at the Papacy, which even kings of countries attend, would be extremely tight.

None of the figures visible to Leeha seemed to carry anything resembling a weapon. A thorough body search would have been conducted from within the Papacy, which was easily foreseeable without seeing it.

Both the Fox of the Prairie, Ewin, and Cheka were without any weapon, making it difficult for Leeha to distinguish between a Brainiac and a Brawler.

Mana was the same. Fernand mentioned several times that no one could use magic in the Papal secret meeting room.

“Confiscating the knights’ weapons and blocking the flow of mana in that place made it difficult for anyone to carry out a violent act,” was the Papacy’s thought. Even so, Leeha couldn’t help but let out a laugh.

“Uh, then shouldn’t those giants be barred from entry from the start? Ha.”

The third group to enter, from the Shazrashian Federation, included not only humans but also giants.

“That side has a presidential system, not a monarchy. A giant president. With his strength, it seems that even the most skilled users are no match for him.”

While Leeha was calming his own tensions, the people from Fibiel began to take their seats. There were familiar faces to Leeha.

The king of Fibiel, the commander of the guard, attendants carrying various documents and bundles of paper, and…

“Lotzak.”

Seeing Lotzak wearing an unusually tall hat, Leeha’s eyes gleamed.

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