Arcane Sniper [Matan’s Shooter]

Those who unconditionally designate the White Reaper’s residence as a place of evil and must monitor it!

Shuaaaah…!

Suddenly, a curtain of yellow light began to surround the house.

“Once again, surrender now! You are surrounded! Raise your hands above your head and surrender immediately, or we’ll resort to force!”

“Hoho, have they locked down the space?”

Despite hearing a fierce shout, Leeha didn’t particularly feel tense. Ordinary NPCs of the Old Continent trying to capture him?

“Jellypong, protect me if there is a surprise attack!”

*Myongmyong!*

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At this moment, Leeha thought there was no need to show his strength. If their identities were ordinary rangers of the Shazrashian Federation.

Leeha opened the front gates of the White Reaper’s residence without even raising his hands.

*Creak…*

The sunlight reflecting on the snow made Leeha gleam.

“I am Ha Leeha, the Lord of Gaza City under Fibiel’s affiliation and the assassin of Tion! Why does the allied nation Shazrashian treat me as an enemy? The responsible person of 216 Ranger of Shazrashian Federation, come forth immediately!”

However, it was not just the sunlight that made Leeha shine. His dignified attitude was enough to put the giants on edge. And what worked even better than a dignified attitude was, of course, the system of Middle Earth.

『Dignity』

Description: The aura possessed only by those who have reached one of the highest positions achievable for an individual to succeed.

Effect: Absolute respect within one’s own country with a common prestige of 3,000 or less in the continent ((8 in total)), absolute respect for other countries with a common prestige of 1,000 or less in the continent ((0 in total)).

“Why haven’t you come out already!”

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The echoing tone of Leeha continued. The confusion of the 25 giants from the 216th Ranger unit, who had surrounded the residence of the White Reaper, was keenly felt.

Amidst this, one of the giants approached from the center of the group, stumbling over his words.

“H-Ha Leeha… Are you…? This place is off-limits—”

“Affiliation and name?”

“Huh?”

“I said, state your affiliation and name, giant.”

The hesitation of the past days of endless chatter was nowhere to be found. Determined not to miss any information or data related to the White Reaper, he was prepared to do whatever it took, even if it went against his nature.

“Uh, I-I’ll introduce myself! I’m Second Lieutenant Mikhail, commander of the 216th Ranger unit under the Shazrashian Federal Northwest Border Management Brigade!”

The giant saluted towards him with his greatsword pressed against his chest. Shasrazia and Fibiel had been allies since ancient times, having fought the National War against Minis-Kraven together. Although it was not necessary for him to salute as they were not compatriots, Mikhail, an NPC officer at the rank of Second Lieutenant, felt compelled to maintain his composure in the presence of Leeha’s “dignity”.

“Ahem. It’s nice to meet you, second Lieutenant Mikhail.”

“Huh??”

The strange greeting that merged “nice to meet you” and “nice to meet you too” confused the giant. Mikhail had to quickly establish a ‘concept’, as it wasn’t in his nature to act this way, in order not to diminish his authority.

“If the best person for this kind of thing… Uh, it must be Alexander, right?! I am Ha Leeha-nim of Gaza City under Fibiel.”

“Oh! I have heard of your esteemed name, it’s an honor.”

Although the tone was awkward beyond measure, the giant easily accepted it. Constrained by the achievements of Ha Leeha, the 480s were unable to muster the courage to rebel properly.

“I apologize for not knowing this is a restricted area. Is there a reason for it?”

“T-That’s… It’s because of the White Reaper, isn’t it?”

“That’s right! I already knew. This place became a special management area because of that wicked Human Flesh Hunter. If you’re a resident of Shazrashian, no one would dare set foot here. According to the law, you could be arrested on the spot and put on trial, or in some cases, your life could be in danger.”

Mikhail’s expression brightened as soon as Ha Leeha showed signs of giving up.

Despite feeling pressured by Ha Leeha, his attitude was that of a military leader heading a single platoon. Without directly mentioning Mikhail, he was indirectly threatening his countrymen, circumventing and pressuring them.

“Why is that? I heard the White Reaper is already dead.”

Of course, his statement was a kind of indirect warning. The code has been disregarded. As Mikhail couldn’t reply, Leeha took a step towards him.

“Can you tell me, Lieutenant Mikhail?”

“I’m sorry, but it’s difficult for me to speak about matters that are highly regarded even in my homeland.”

“Even if I ask you specifically, you can’t tell me?”

“Ha Leeha-nim mentioned that you were unaware that this place is a restricted area, so I won’t report today as a special case. However, in the future, you must be cautious about entering. Since I am aware that you have been here before.”

Leeha flinched for a moment. It wasn’t discovered by staying here for a long time. Did he know about this from his last visit with Blaugrunn?

Thus, it must be interpreted as meaning that there is a device similar to an alarm magic mechanism here.

If it implies that one must reveal themselves to these people even if they return later… a decision had to be made immediately. If one were to retreat now, nothing would come of it.

“Should I go to the Shahzarsian Presidential Palace to inquire?”

“T-t-the Presidential Palace?”

“Yes. Tell them that Mikhail, the Lieutenant of the 216th Ranger Battalion from the Northwest 3rd Border Management Division, is too dedicated to his guard duty and refuses to answer questions, so I came to find out about it… Just go to the Remlin Palace. Got it. Sorry for stealing your busy time.”

“W-w-wait a moment!”

When Leeha took out his identification, Mikhail stopped him.

The Shahzarsian Federation is not a kingdom. Therefore, the capital houses the President’s residence, not a royal palace.

Of course, Leeha did not have direct connections there, but entry depended on one’s determination. Despite Leeha’s long activity on the New Continent, his continental reputation was much higher than that of peaceful Shahzarsian users.

If he mobilized various connections there? Just mentioning Pope Urban II and ‘Exorcism Cardinal’ would be enough for the Shahzarsian President to make time for Leeha immediately.

“Understood… Whew, I’ll tell you then.”

“Alright? That’s it! Thanks to you, I saved some time!”

In the end, Leeha’s coercion could only elicit Mikhail’s concession, “Just because you call them high-ranking doesn’t mean you have to tremble like this…

‘Sorry, even after serving in the military, this is the only way I can treat you.’

Leeha held Mikhail’s hand in gratitude but had to conceal his gaze when looking at him. If he sympathized too much with their pitiful situation, the atmosphere they had awkwardly captured could dissipate again.

“Everyone, let’s withdraw!”

Mikhail shouted to the NPC guards around them. Leeha chuckled and followed them.

It was a very small outpost with a ranger barracks about an hour’s walk from the White Reaper’s dwelling, where the NPC beings resided.

“Ah, it’s nice to reminisce about the past.”

“Hey, have you ever lived the life of a ranger?”

“I’ve tried something similar.”

Rangers were essentially reconnaissance units. For Leeha, a former army soldier, these small units were quite familiar. Moreover, during the journey to this place, Leeha didn’t see a single soul.

In other words, all the rangers here meant a kind of code: 480. So, Leeha felt somewhat relieved.

Leeha’s words sparkled a liking in Mikhail’s eyes.

“Please, have this tea with ginger and yogurt liqueur.”

“Mmm~ I’ll enjoy it.”

A tea mixed with the smell of ginger and tangy yogurt liqueur?

The smell was a bit off-putting, but Leeha lifted the cup feeling it was a beverage to savor.

As it was a giant cup, it was almost like a feast for a human.

Despite feeling queasy due to the strange smell and size, Leeha managed to swallow it down.

“Wow! This is quite delicious.”

In the Middle Earth, the effects of alcohol were not applicable, only the smell and taste were 100% discernible. Watching Leeha’s enthusiasm, Mikhail smiled warmly and took a seat.

“Where should I start…”

“There’s nothing to hide. I just want to be a force for the Shazrashian Federation. Isn’t that what a guild is about? And during the expedition to the New Continent, I also received help from the Bantal and Daoist Brothers, so I want to repay that help too.”

“Do you know Bantal-nim!?”

Leeha casually dropped the names of famous figures in Shazrashian, someone he barely(?) remembered. They were part of the team during the New Continent expedition, but since then, they had not had any contact, making the relationship almost nonexistent.

“Know enough. We sailed on the same ship and went on the same adventures, weren’t we comrades?”

There was no need to brag about such matters in this situation.

‘At least it’s not a lie, right? thought Leeha.

There was some reason for bringing up this kind of story. Giants, with their fiery personalities, worshipped camaraderie, friendship, and trust. So, Leeha used it as a way to get closer to Mikhail.

‘It’s not like I can keep whining about food now, given that I’ve pursued the strongman concept all along. I should have just gone with a food offensive from the beginning! If only I had used Kiyomi-Mifgar’s cooking, then I wouldn’t have just collapsed like a leaf in the wind.”

If things didn’t work out, he had to try that method too. The soldiers of Shazrashian were going through a hard time. A condolence train for the dead!

Unlucky or lucky, it no longer mattered what lay ahead to subdue them in what kind of way.

“Well, I guess I can tell you.”

“Yeah…”

“The residence of the Human Flesh Hunter… Why it became a forbidden area.”

The descendant of Shazrashian’s ‘Barbarian Hero’, Bantal. His name carried more weight than expected. Mikhail’s shared Shimo’s story with a pounding heart. The words that came out of him were even more shocking than what Leeha had anticipated.

“… Appearance? Oh, wait. The White Reaper was definitely exe-”

“Yes. The Human Flesh Hunter is dead. The place where the Human Flesh Hunter was executed was a quiet but relaxed small town. However, now… it has turned into a complete ghost city. It’s a ghost city without residents, and at the same time… it’s a ghost city where the ghost of the Human Flesh Hunter appears.”

“The ghost of the White Reaper…”

“That’s correct. Due to indiscriminately killing those who approach, it is no longer possible to live there, or… it is impossible to approach at all. We are protecting this place in case he comes back to his former residence in his lifetime. Fortunately, nothing of the sort has happened so far. In fact, the recent visitors have only been you, Ha Leeha-nim.”

Upon understanding the reason why Mikhail and his subordinates were so tense when they surrounded the area near the White Reaper’s residence after several years, they might have considered the person who visited the forbidden area as the ‘White Reaper’. Alarm magic only alerts of the presence of the same type of mana, without revealing the true identity. Therefore, it was a deduction that the first person to come was Highah, as no one had visited in years.

“So, what now? How are they dealing with it? How is Shazrashian handling this?”

“Officially, even the President does not recognize it.”

“Why? If the ghost is restless and causing havoc, can’t it be suppressed or–”

“We tried very hard to suppress it too.”

Mikhail was overflowing with pride for his homeland. Strong giants like him must have gone there as a matter of course. When he reached that point, Leeha’s eyes widened. Hasn’t it been a while since the story from a few moments ago? From that time until now, they couldn’t handle it?

“The reason the Human Flesh Hunter is famous is not just because of his misdeeds during his lifetime. Although we cannot officially announce that we have fallen victim to his ghost… knowledgeable people are aware of it. The knights and mages who went to deal with him and sacrificed themselves until now are too numerous to count.”

Does it mean that everyone who went there died? And to hide this ‘truth’, Shazrashian is executing internal investigations diligently.

“The White Reaper…”

Leeha’s body trembled. He thought he was dead, but he was still alive.

‘No, strictly speaking, isn’t he not alive? If he’s in a ghost state, isn’t it possible to communicate?’