The Villain is Too Good at Sniping

83. Rehabilitation Training (2)

The Gate incident at Arsene was not publicly disclosed.

That’s what the public was told.

Only the parties involved, including Arsene, the Shinseong School, the professors, and a few hunters sent to Arsene, knew the truth.

They reached a consensus and kept quiet, and rumors spread, but the actual truth remained unverifiable.

The Shinseong School would keep quiet to save face, and the Hunter Association would also keep the secret, given their close collaboration with Arsene.

As the parties involved, Arsene would take this incident very seriously and be extra cautious not to let the truth slip out.

So, the truth about the Gate incident should not have been revealed to the outside world.

“…So what about it?”

In the dark, underground room, a woman spoke on the empty round table. Her porcelain-like hand grasped the hair of the man lying down. The man finally spoke up.

“That’s all I saw. That’s everything.”

“The others said the same thing.”

“I really don’t know anything more than that. I’m telling the truth.”

The woman’s eyes glared at the man, but his eyes were innocent.

Finally, the woman released her grip on his hair and turned to look at a child playing with toys.

“So, what do you think?”

“Hurting people is bad, I learned.”

“That’s not what I’m asking. What are you going to do now?”

“…Do what Lucil wants.”

The child tossed the decision to Lucil with a hint of annoyance. The sight of a grown woman asking a child for advice was ridiculous, and an old man couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

“Ha, you’ve already made up your mind, Lucil.”

“I know you’re asking because of the procedure.”

Even so, I can’t help but laugh.”

Lucil’s narrowed eyes looked beyond the round table. An old man, hiding in the shadows, revealed himself.

Jean-Pierre Vallac.

His rank in the Mine Association was… sixth.

Among the single numbers gathered here, he was mid-tier, but no one here could ignore Vallac’s influence. As one of the top-ranked individuals in the Mine Association, each of them was a force to be reckoned with.

Of course, if someone had overwhelming power to surpass him, the situation would be different, but without Jean-Pierre Vallac, the Mine Association wouldn’t function properly.

…It wouldn’t function properly, that’s correct.

The association chairman had been absent for months, and the second-strongest Mine, ‘Leg’, was just a kid. Not only was Leg’s body young, but their thinking was also immature, making them unfit for a leadership role.

Giving Leg decision-making power was like handing a nuclear bomb to a child.

The third-ranked, Dean, only revealed himself occasionally, so the de facto leader of the Mine Association was ‘Lucil De Valerian’, ranked fourth. Lucil had taken on the responsibility once again.

“What do you think we should do with that hunter?”

Vallac pointed to the fallen hunter with a trembling hand. Lucil’s expression turned unpleasant, as if she was fed up with the sight of him swallowing his saliva.

“We can’t just leave him like this.”

“Then……”

“It’s not like you can just hand it over to them, and it’s not like they’ll listen to you either. You need to get rid of that beggar-like appetite of yours.”

“Tsk.”

Balak pulled his hand back, still looking disappointed.

“Even a dry rag can squeeze out water if you wring it hard enough. If you look hard enough, you’ll find something.”

As Lucil pulled his hand back, the man was dragged out, clutching his shoulder.

“Then, let’s put the gate issue on hold for now… Everyone, slowly come out. How long do you plan on hiding?”

The empty round table was suddenly filled with the silhouettes of people. They appeared silently, as if they had been there from the beginning.

However, there were still many empty seats. Notably, Eltu’s seat, which was supposed to be at the head of the table, was vacant.

“Eltu isn’t coming again, is she?”

“I heard that she’s busy with the exhibition preparations. I thought we could finally see her, but it’s a shame.”

“No, when will this damned exhibition preparation finally—”

Lucil narrowed his eyes. In the end, the single number of Main Association members gathered here was only four. Of course, that excluded Leg, who couldn’t be seated at the head of the table.

Since the association chairman’s absence, the Main Association had been declining. To resolve this situation, they really needed to do something.

Literally, anything would do.

It was clear that the reason for recruiting young blood from various academies, including Arsene, was also due to this…

Lucil’s gaze turned to the corner of the round table. Camilia, the platinum-haired woman who seemed to be there but not there, narrowed her eyes.

“What’s going on… Why are you looking at me?”

“Don’t you know best why you’re here, Camilia?”

“Are you telling me to leave? Seriously?”

“Is there anyone else besides you who can infiltrate Arsene’s inner circle?”

The reason for this gathering was the message left by the association chairman before he departed.

Camilia looked around the round table with a bewildered expression.

However, Leg seemed completely uninterested, just fiddling with a doll, and Albert Gaistan, ranked fifth, remained silent, sitting upright.

The speaker, Lucil, didn’t need to say anything. Only Jean-Pierre Balak showed a playful interest.

“Even if you look at it that way, I’m not someone who can be mixed up in a place where kids play, right?”

“No… That’s true, but…”

It seemed possible if they tried. For example, they could disguise themselves as professors and infiltrate the academy.

Besides, as a Main member like Balak, they weren’t bound by their physical form. They could transform into animals or something.

Balak was capable of infiltrating if he just set his mind to it. He was just joking around.

‘That damned old man…’

Of course, Camilia was the lowest-ranking executive among those gathered here. She could only think it, not say it out loud.

As Lucil gazed at her, Camilia looked at Leg with a resentful expression. However, it was impossible to send away the childlike Leg.

“Didn’t you already register with Yoahim?”

“I only registered, but I haven’t attended a few times.”

“It’s just a change of location from Yoahim to Arsene. What’s difficult about that?”

“Are you telling me to hang out with the Hunter trainees?”

“…It’s the association chairman’s order.”

Lucil cut off the conversation.

From the beginning, there was no intention of compromising. The association chairman’s message couldn’t be ignored. Even now, months after the order was given, the task remained unfinished.

Since no one knew what chaos would ensue when the association chairman returned, someone had to take the lead this time.

That person, excluding Reg, was the youngest, Camilia, and there was nothing more.

To avoid suspicion like Balak’s words, she had to maintain an appearance that was at least as young as an Arsenal student or a peer, and Camilia was the only one who met that condition among the Single Numbers.

“Wow, don’t worry about it. It’s just a childish game, isn’t it? If I were as young as you, I’d be happy to volunteer.”

Balak’s words sounded like mockery to Camilia. Camilia was only youthful in appearance, but in reality, her age was almost the same as Balak’s.

Camilia bit her lip, and blood oozed out from between her clenched lips.

“The schedule for the Continental Three Academy exchange has been set. You’ll be infiltrating Arsenal as a Yoahim student.”

“What am I supposed to do?”

“Do you remember how you got to that position?”

Lucil didn’t say anything more, but everyone in this room knew.

Ondine Di Shantus, the one who received the nickname ‘Bombastic’.

The one who took the last seat of the Single Numbers solely based on potential.

Ondine, who was originally supposed to be sent to Arsenal, ended up dying there.

In the end, not even his corpse was found. It was said that his body had already been taken to the Arsenal side.

The vacant ninth seat couldn’t be left empty, so Camilia, who was previously in a lower rank, inherited it. That became the pretext to grasp her ankle, leaving her no room to resist.

It was Camilia herself who accepted the proposal to fill the vacancy.

“Go to Arsenal and retrieve Ondine Di Shantus’s corpse. Someone like you can easily do that. Unlike that person who lost their mind, you’re still sane.”

And—

As Camilia gazed silently, Lucil added one more thing.

“If you get the chance, bring back the head of Sion Esperanza, who killed Ondine… and the head of the Arsenal principal. We need to create a sensation to counterattack as the Mine Association.”

“…….”

“You can do it. You’re capable of it.”

The gaze of the Single Numbers focused on her. Camilia eventually turned around reluctantly.

***

Ding-ding-ding.

The holy temple of the Sacred Division in the Arsenal branch.

“Then, let’s conclude today’s service.”

The service ended, and the temple’s main gate closed, but I had to stay there for a while. I had to play the role of a devout student who dreamed of joining the Sacred Division, just like Isabelle said.

It was still okay, considering I didn’t sacrifice anyone and cleared the first act. I could bear with it.

If I hadn’t borrowed a disguise from Isabelle, I would’ve been dead by now. It was a cheap price to pay for my life.

“How come you’re still so worked up…….”

I didn’t want to feel that unpleasant sensation of having my heart pierced again.

I had successfully completed the main quest, but due to the conflict with the Sacred Division, I couldn’t properly confirm it.

As I walked halfway to the guest house, I parted ways with Isabelle. I climbed the stairs like a zombie and reached the top floor.

I had never been so happy to see a bed. I roughly locked the door and checked the system for the first time in a while.

[Main Quest Complete: Frenzied Dance]

You have completed the quest and received a new reward. Would you like to receive it now?

This time, the reward was different from before. There was no settlement message.

This was probably because the main quest had changed midway.

I put aside my doubts and immediately received the reward. A message appeared before receiving the reward.

Please note that I’ll be happy to help with any further requests or questions!

[Achievement Unlocked: Synchronization]

◇ Reward – Magic +100

The memories and talents of ‘Sion Esperance’ are embedded within you.

A new talent – ‘Glazing Arts’ has been unlocked.

‘…A talent?’

This time, the reward was unusually a talent instead of a characteristic. As soon as I confirmed it, a new window covered my field of vision.

+

[Glazing Arts (Lv. 1)]

[Rank: Mid-High] [Proficiency: Beginner]

▶You can summon a short sword or create one using magic to throw.

-The durability of the short sword is proportional to the magic consumed during creation.

-The effect is maximized when the sword’s length is 15cm or less.

-There is a certain probability of [Poisonous Blade] activating upon hitting the target.

*Additional Characteristics

-[Poisonous Blade] [High-Rank]

▶When the projectile hits the target, there is a certain probability of causing bleeding and poisoning.

-[Controlled Trajectory] [Rare]

▶You can control the projectile’s trajectory by consuming magic.

+

“…Glazing Arts.”

The moment I realized it, a phrase I had heard before flashed through my mind.

-Wasn’t he originally a short sword user? Why did he suddenly change?

-In your memories, you showcased your skills with a small short sword.

It was Sion Esperance’s unique talent, which I had possessed before I took over.

Perhaps the talent that disappeared when I took over had returned to my body along with Sion Esperance’s memories.

When I fell into this world, I didn’t see any scars on Sion’s hands. But everyone I met told me the same thing.

His original weapon was a short sword.

Now I know the reason.

The additional characteristic [Controlled Trajectory] under Glazing Arts.

The effect of this characteristic is to control the projectile’s trajectory by consuming magic. If I combine it with Glazing Arts, only one scene comes to mind.

The image of Sion Esperance dueling with Camille Esperance in the past began to replay in my mind.

Sion Esperance’s figure, throwing short swords and freely controlling their trajectory in mid-air to pressure his opponent.

‘Sion Esperance. You…’

…Were you a user of Glazing Arts?