Arcane Sniper [Matan’s Shooter]

He shrugged his shoulders as if to ask how this happened and looked to the side of Faust.

“Ah, Faust. There’s no need to attack. They’re on our side.”

Bluebeard raised Lark’s hand.

Faust glanced at Le for a moment before refocusing on Lark.

“That can’t be right, count. You don’t know what kind of person Lark is. I don’t care what he said to you while I was logged out, but you shouldn’t trust him.”

“I swear, I always get cast as the villain. Didn’t you hear the news, Faust? You couldn’t have been asleep through all of this. Am I wrong?”

Faust’s jagged teeth were more exposed at Lark’s words.

Lark was right. The sudden commotion caused by Tiamat had occurred while Faust was logged out.

He had hurriedly logged in after seeing the news and videos online.

“The idea that you suddenly come under the Count’s command just because you were with the Chromatic Dragons is nonsensical. The Virtue Knights and Sacred Knights are top-grade players on the Lope continent. It’s even more unbelievable for a ranker like Shin Nara. And, you’re all related to Ha Leeha, aren’t you?”

Faust subtly glanced at Le.

At the mention of Ha Leeha, Bluebeard’s eyebrows twitched.

Shin Nara also glared at Faust with hostility, but Lark took two steps forward, naturally blocking their line of sight.

“Firstly, let me point out that we did not come under the ‘command’ of the esteemed Bluebeard and his servant, Faust.”

“What? Then why did the Count accept you into his fold? The Count couldn’t have been swayed by your silver tongue―”

“Enough, lizardia. I was the one who made a deal with Le.”

Rustle… rustle… Amid the tension between Faust and Lark, someone emerged from the bushes.

Despite the slow sound of their footsteps, they moved quickly as if on a moving walkway, without any visible steps.

The figure spoke to Faust.

“Are you suggesting that I was swayed by this human’s tongue?”

“Who are you―”

The old man with disheveled black hair glared menacingly.

As he raised his cane to point at Faust, a hat suddenly flew between them.

Capturing everyone’s attention like a boomerang, the hat landed atop Le’s head.

“Let it go, Onyx. He speaks like that out of his strong loyalty to me. And, frankly, I’m quite interested in what our Faust has to say.”

Bluebeard, Faust, Onyx, and Lark stood in opposition to each other.

* * *

“I’m not foolish, Lark. You’ve had plenty of favors from the ‘Divine Staff’. And from that female knight as well.”

“Are you refusing to cooperate, Le?”

As Le straightened his posture and took a seat, Onyx glared at him. Despite the perceptive stare of the elderly Black Dragon, Le did not flinch.

“No, no. I’m not speaking to you, Onyx. I’m just… a bit intrigued by those related to Ha Leeha. And most importantly, you are necessary to utilize Tiamat perfectly. So why would I refuse cooperation?”

“Utilize?”

“Ah! I see, ‘utilize’ might sound unpleasant. I meant ‘to operate fully’.”

Bluebeard shrugged his shoulders as Onyx glared.

Faust could comprehend the current situation from just a brief conversation. The only reason the Chromatic Dragons came to Bluebeard was one thing.

“Tiamat… that ‘thing’ from the video.”

The last thing Faust saw before logging out was Tiamat in human form.

Although the lack of focus in its eyes was peculiar, he never imagined that the small girl, Tiamat, would transform ‘that’ way.

“Black Dragon. Onyx. I’ve heard of you. And you… you intend to make Tiamat fully―”

『”You ill-mannered lizard! How dare you call the Queen’s name so recklessly!”』

“―Kkeuut!? 〈Bone Shield〉!”

As soon as Faust called out Tiamat’s name, Onyx reverted to his dragon form.

Even when he was an old man with black hair, the aura of the Black Dragon was not to be underestimated. When Onyx revealed his true form, Faust used his skills instinctively.

『”How dare you, a mere lesser being, treat the Queen like an inferior! You couldn’t even reach the dust on her feet, let alone my own worthless toes!”』

Onyx lashed out at Faust, but his outburst wasn’t solely directed at him.

Onyx’s target was Bluebeard.

Bluebeard took off his hat and looked up.

Nodding lightly to Onyx, who was floating in the air, he displayed his own form of respect.

“What’s the point of getting angry, Onyx? This one is still young and doesn’t know proper etiquette. If you consider it, Lark’s mistake towards me might have been greater.”

“That incident was when there were still differences in our standings, Bluebeard. Common sense dictates that if I had known we were allies, it wouldn’t have happened,”

Lark spoke quickly, gesturing with his hands.

Le stood up from his seat.

He didn’t hold his staff in reverse, nor did he assume any special attack stance, but with each step he took, Lark had to retreat.

“I heard from Chiyou back then. You clearly tried to ally with Chiyou. But then, for some reason, you attacked me. And now, suddenly you’ve brought the Chromatic Dragons? To serve Tiamat, the Queen of the Chromatic Dragons? How am I supposed to believe that? Why should I trust you―”

“He is a human who killed Black Dragons, even those of my race, Le.”

“Hm?”

Onyx had returned to his human form and stood beside Lark.

Bluebeard tilted his head, seemingly unable to understand, prompting Onyx to explain further.

“This person killed ten of our Chromatic Dragons. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he’s our worst enemy.”

“And now you’re with him?”

“Yes.”

The protective instinct among dragon races was immensely strong.

Every NPC, as well as users, were well aware of this fact.

“Don’t you understand the reason I accepted someone that should be torn apart?”

Faust looked alternately at Lark and Shin Nara with astonished eyes.

‘No way… How could that be? Once intimacy drops to a negative level, it’s almost impossible to recover.’

Killing an Adult Black Dragon would have reduced Lark’s intimacy with Onyx to -100%.

Meeting Onyx in such a situation and persuading him to accept him? Could such a thing even be possible?

For Faust, it was something that he couldn’t even imagine.

“As I promised to accept him… With him willing to aid in the revival of the Chromatic Dragons, no one in our clan opposed him. In fact, the very reason we are here is thanks to Lark’s power. And you still wouldn’t trust him?”

Onyx was speaking on behalf of Lark.

Lark nodded, saying, “Exactly, exactly”, while only Shin Nara continued to show an uncomfortable expression.

“Then we’ll trust him. How could we not? However… how do you plan to help? Despite Tiamat showing a stable state since you arrived, she was uncontrollable in her original form.”

“We have only just met the Queen. But we have a way to reduce the Queen’s pain.”

“Do you really?”

“Yes, by understanding the source of the Queen’s suffering and sharing that burden ourselves.”

Onyx spoke confidently. Le nodded, saying “Amazing.”

“Sharing pain. Only possible among the same species, huh?”

Neither Lark, Faust, nor Shin Nara, who were unaware of the exact reason for Tiamat’s instability, finally understood the pain that was making Tiamat incomplete.

‘Sharing pain? Is it similar to the act of sharing blood among vampires?’

Faust licked his lips, pondering Onyx’s words.

Middle Earth, where the exchange of mana and blood was possible.

Faust understood that if such a high-level race as a dragon existed, particularly a unique entity like Tiamat, it implied the possibility of sharing negative energy or bestowing power through acts of worship.

Without Onyx having to respond, Bluebeard interpreted his silence as agreement and said, “So, it’s possible to kill Bahamut as well.”

“Indeed. The human-side information will be provided by Lark here, and we will strike at the most opportune moment…”

Only then did Onyx nod in agreement. Pausing in his speech, he looked at Lark, who smiled gently and bowed slightly. Onyx’s lips also curled upward.

“With the complete queen at our side, we shall slay Bahamut.”

However, his eyes did not smile along with his mouth. Onyx’s smile, devoid of any genuine mirth, solemnly declared their intention. Bluebeard ceased his harassment of Lark.

“Good, good. That’s what I wanted anyway.”

With a satisfied expression, Bluebeard nodded and sat back down on the rock. The atmosphere had been completely settled.

Faust still did not like Lark, but he could not voice his disagreement since the Chromatic Dragon had spoken.

‘The Chromatic Dragon controls Tiamat—once they receive Tiamat, they use it to kill Bahamut. That’s the plan.’

Moreover, didn’t his ‘superior’, Bluebeard, already accept them?

The downfall of Bahamut and the Metal Dragons was something Faust had longed for. It had become increasingly difficult to obtain a dragon’s corpse by his own means.

Thinking about this made Faust feel unpleasant again.

“Hey, Faust-ssi.”

“Stay away, Lark.”

Lark approached Faust quietly. Faust took a step back, but Lark, with his sly smile, edged closer again.

“Hehe, let’s not bicker among Minis members. What’s the point of fighting? We both stand to gain. Don’t you think so?”

“Members? That’s laughable. What’s Ha Leeha’s plan?”

“I don’t know either. I haven’t contacted Ha Leeha in a long time. People seem to think Shin Nara is here, but do you think I could’ve caught a Chromatic Dragon alone? Shin Nara and I did it together, right? That’s why Onyx accepted us.”

Lark pointed to Shin Nara, who was still off in the distance. Faust’s eyes briefly glanced over at her. He found it hard to believe, having known the Shin Nara-Ha Leeha duo long before Lark.

“Shin Nara betrayed Ha Leeha? Does that even make sense?”

Even before Faust finished speaking, Lark’s eyes gleamed.

“Betrayed? They were never a couple, were they? Isn’t that how things are in Middle Earth anyway? Right, Faust-ssi, what about Chiyou? You were always with Igor and Pyro. Where are they now?”

Lark’s specialty was leading conversations to cast doubt on the listener and entrap them in his narrative. Equating Shin Nara and Ha Leeha’s relationship with Chiyou and Faust’s, implying Faust’s current separation from Chiyou, demonstrated the peak of his rhetoric skill.

“I can’t say.”

“Exactly. You don’t have to say it to know. Judging by your pale skin, Chiyou did something, didn’t she? And Bluebeard told you not to worry about her, didn’t he? So, she’s probably completely out of the picture. Right?”

As Faust fell silent and glared at him, Lark gave a foolish grin and nodded significantly.

“Let’s work well together in the future. We have no one else to rely on. Even Bluebeard said as much. Rather than trust, let’s…”

And with that, he extended his hand.

“As business partners, let’s collaborate well.”

Faust wasn’t a fool either.

He was 100% sure that Lark and Shin Nara wouldn’t behave like this suddenly. Thus, he had no choice but to go along with their words.

Their proposal wasn’t about abstract trust or ambiguous claims; it was about working together until they achieved their respective goals.

Faust couldn’t resist the dazzling rhetoric that had enchanted the king of Minis, the Minister of Finance, and numerous other top-grade NPCs.