The Villain is Too Good at Sniping - Chapter 137



Only Krnovel

Episode 137

Episode 137. The Eve of the Storm (2)

I finished sweeping as the attendant said.

The clothes the chief gave me were uncomfortable and only superficial. It was a moment when I realized how precious the cadet uniform I had worn at Arsen was.

“after.”

Cleaning was something I did whenever I forgot, and since I had seen how the maids at Esperland handled the work, it wasn’t that difficult.

I put the broom back where it belonged and headed toward the kitchen as the janitor had told me. The hallway was finished, but the kitchen was still noisy.

“I’m trying my best… but it’s strange. It’s not like I wanted to break it, right? Elfin.”

Lara Stillheiden continued to mop the floor while lying face down.

There were four broken plates nearby. They were probably the plates that Lara Stillheiden had broken, so I walked over to Lara, who was cleaning up, muttering to myself.

“What is it? If you block my way while I’m cleaning… … .”

Lara looked up and her eyes widened as she looked at me.

“Zion Illionheart… …? Why are you here?”

“It was just a coincidence that I received the same request.”

“Is that possible?”

Lara didn’t believe it, but surprisingly, this happens quite often. Even though there are only a limited number of requests that first-year students can receive, it’s not uncommon for them to run into their peers in unexpected places.

“I guess we met like this because it was possible. I was a little surprised just now, too.”

That’s why I continued to lie naturally.

I don’t know about Lara, but actually, I knew from the beginning what kind of request Lara would receive. Because I’ve experienced it countless times.

In Kyle’s case, I’m less worried since he’ll be hanging out with people like Ashlyn and Serene Annette, but in the case of Airi and Lara, it’s different.

Airi’s growth event was skipped, and so was Lara Stillheiden. So I thought I’d wait a bit longer to see if she’d be ready for the upcoming climax of Act 2, and if necessary, help her out like I did with Airi.

“The landlord here, isn’t this a little strange?”

After finishing cleaning, Lara Stillheiden looked around several times and complained to me.

“I’m saying that I didn’t break the plate on purpose. I didn’t break it. The drying rack was tilted to begin with, and I just missed it when I tried to grab it… … .”

“The landlord has a bit of a bad personality.”

“Money, I’m just holding on for the money, but if I had known this was going to happen, I would have taken a different job… … .”

Lara sighs, shaking off her maid outfit.

Looking at his haggard eyes, it seemed like he had been greatly tormented by the landlord and the servant, just like in the original. It was fortunate for me, because it was proof that this event had not gone too far astray.

“How many days are you planning to work?”

“I’ll be leaving in two days. Tomorrow.”

“It’s been two days for me too.”

The moment I was about to continue the light chat, I heard faint footsteps from upstairs. Lara still didn’t seem to notice, but I could sense the landlord’s presence because I had [Aura].

“fizzle.”

“… … !”

“For now, at least pretend to work. If you’re doing something, no one will touch you.”

I gestured to Lara to be quiet and picked up the broom. There was a thumping sound of footsteps coming down the stairs.

***

There were many things to do during the summer vacation, and one of them was to tail Lara Stillheiden.

There are some events that have increased in difficulty as the development begins to deviate from the original, and most importantly, I skipped one of the growth events that Lara Stillheiden had to go through.

For example, there is an event where Lara Stillheiden encounters her doppelganger.

A tragic story about Lara, who visited Elysium for a part-time job, encountered a doppelganger of her father, and learned that he was dead.

But again, I caught that doppelganger. Because of that, one of Lara Stillheiden’s growth events was lost. So I need to watch Lara’s growth. At least, I need to check if it’s going well.

So I followed Lara Stillheiden’s path.

-Do your job properly! Lara Stillheiden!

-Okay, okay!

-Isn’t your voice small? You are not Arsene’s student now, but a servant working in this mansion.

-Yes! Master… no, Master Chamberlain!

Lara Stillheiden is short on money, so she spends her summer vacation working various jobs and commissions to save up for her tuition.

From requests to subdue demons to security missions and short-term part-time jobs, Lara travels across the continent for three weeks, encountering all sorts of people. In the process, she realizes her own shortcomings and grows as a bonus.

Among them, Lara unfortunately accepted a request from a wicked nobleman. As Lara had said, she ended up serving the landlord, who had a bad temper.

Originally, this was going to happen after the doppelganger incident, but this time things will be a little different, so… you’re probably going to have a hard time.

At least I can help you a little.

At dawn, when all the day’s schedule was over, I approached Rebecca, who was standing by the window. Rebecca stared out the window, then glanced at my outfit.

“The dress suits you well, Zion Illionheart.”

“Rebecca.”

I had deliberately dragged Rebecca into the situation. I had willingly bowed my head to her and asked her to do it, in preparation for any possible danger.

When I told her that I would go after Lara Steelheiden, Rebecca looked uncomprehending and asked for an explanation-

“At first, I didn’t understand why he was asking me to do this.”

“That makes sense.”

“But I have a gut feeling that if I hadn’t come here, something big would have happened.”

When I explained the general situation, he readily accepted my request.

“Is it about time?”

“If not now, then there will never be a time to step forward.”

I loosened my tight tie. It felt like the noose around my neck had been released.

“I’m telling you this just in case, Zion Illionheart. You are… … .”

“I’m fine. I’ve already experienced it.”

“… If that’s the case, then that’s great, but I said it just in case.”

He took out the Glock from the subspace and held it. Likewise, Rebecca summoned the rapier and held it in her hand.

“For now, I will approach first as planned. Lady Rebecca, please subdue the chamberlain first.”

“What are you going to do if things go wrong?”

“It won’t go wrong very often, but then it will be at Rebecca’s discretion.”

Since Rebecca had far more practical experience than I did, I was willing to hand over the reins to her.

“Be careful. Zion Illionheart. No-”

Rebecca cleared her throat and corrected herself, mumbling quietly so only I could hear.

“Zion Esperland.”

“…yes.”

Clank-

After loading the gun, I parted ways with Rebecca. It was now time to search for the mines in this mansion.

***

There is a mine in this mansion.

Fortunately, it’s not that strong. It’s just a mine that a cadet can defeat, and the process is cumbersome, but the mine’s power itself isn’t that great.

The problem is, I have no idea who that mine is.

The mine is randomly assigned each round, and you don’t know until you see it whether it’s the landlord, the chamberlain, or another servant working in the mansion.

The mine, hidden somewhere in the mansion, will not reveal its magic until discovered. Therefore, it is necessary to examine each suspect one by one.

That’s why I brought Rebecca. It would take a long time for me to search this mansion by myself, and I’m worried that Mine will notice and run away.

After walking around the first floor for about ten minutes, I came to one conclusion.

‘… First of all, there is none on the first floor.’

Rebecca is looking for the annex of the mansion, because the chamberlain is staying there.

So, it’s my job to search the main building. Since I haven’t felt any signs of Mine on the first floor, it’s time to go upstairs.

What was certain was that Mine was not a servant or a maid. I had already made an agreement with Rebecca to immediately send a signal if I found Mine, so if anything unusual happened, I would be contacted immediately.

I climbed the stairs, my footsteps muffled. Several armed butlers patrolled the hallways, but they were not good enough to spot me, a trained assassin from Esperland.

There is no sign of Mine on the second or third floor.

Even on the fourth floor, which we finally reached, there was no sign of Mine. Now, the only place left is the master bedroom where the owner of the house is staying. If Mine is not in the bedroom, then he must be in the annex, or he must have sensed the pursuit and kicked her out long ago.

… … !

I cautiously entered the living room, and felt Mine’s presence. My [Acuity] reacted. I approached the head of the landlord who was lying on the bed, aiming the Glock. To turn my suspicions into certainty.

However, the moment I saw the face of the landlord Joseph.

Parsak… … !

The landlord who was lying on the bed was reduced to dust and disappeared. At the same time, my [Aura] began to shake more strongly.

“I thought something was strange, and it turns out there was a rat hiding in my house.”

At the sound of a voice behind me, I immediately tried to fly away and escape the mine’s grasp, but before I could, the mine’s grip grabbed my neck.

“Tell me. Who sent you to hide in this mansion? Did you receive a request from Esperland?”

The landlord’s eyes narrow. He begins to tighten his grip around my neck, emitting a sinister aura.

I tried to shake it off, but I couldn’t. I was finally about to pick up my Glock and shoot the landlord.

“…There was another rat.”

Wow!

The glass window that had been letting in soft moonlight shattered and Rebecca barged into the bedroom. I couldn’t see Rebecca until the end. The landlord grabbed me by the neck and threw me to the ground.

puck!

“… … !”

My body curled up like a shrimp as the intense pain ran up my spine. It wasn’t a simple beating, but an attack accompanied by magic.

Even though I have magic resistance, I can’t significantly reduce the amount of damage I take. I barely managed to pull myself up and stand up.

By meeting the conditions, the additional ability of the trait ‘Player’, ‘Unbreakable Will’, is activated.

An unbreakable will begins to take hold in your body.

However, the attack accompanied by magic was not something that could be easily withstood even with the willpower granted by the system. I just looked up at Rebecca.

Although she is fighting with her sword drawn, the landlord, or rather, Mine, is fending off Rebecca’s attacks as if nothing happened. The thin, curved blade pierces the landlord’s limbs here and there, but Mine does not fall down from that level of attack.

If this continues, Rebecca will be pushed back or Mine will run away.

I have to help. The moment I raised my Glock with trembling hands with only that one thought in mind, Mine grabbed Rebecca and threw her against the wall.

“For those who came to kill me, you’re disappointing. You sneaked into my mansion with only that much skill? I guess you underestimated me.”

Mine turns to Rebecca. I raise my Glock and pull the trigger, aiming at the back of the bastard’s head.

bang-!

However, the magic bullet that would have originally pierced the skull only grazed the ear. The magical power that would have allowed the talent to manifest was being suppressed by something.

“This little rat… … .”

Mine’s footsteps, which had been heading towards Rebecca, turned towards me. The murderous intent grew stronger, and I could feel Mine’s determination not to let down her guard any longer.

The ‘divine spirit’ resists the magic that binds the whole body.

However, the magic that was restraining my body was gradually weakening. The moment Mine raised his fist and waited for the right moment for me to escape.

“You did it with your own hands… …?”

“… … .”

Rebecca, who had clearly fainted and collapsed, stood up. She stood up on her own in a strange posture, as if someone had tied her up with rope and forced her up.

Mine looked back at Rebecca. Now was the time to pull the trigger, but I couldn’t pull the trigger on my index finger.

“Hello? Zion.”

Because the voice that came out of Rebecca’s mouth wasn’t the Rebecca I knew.