Free Web NovelGunther was able to clearly make out the sniper’s appearance only when the distance between them shrank to ten meters. When the unexpected figure emerged through the curtain of snow, Gunther’s pupils trembled slightly.
“...Ha.”
It was said that Nine, who looked about thirty-five, had been raised by him since childhood. Gunther had expected to see an old man, but the person before him bore the marks of time far more heavily than he had imagined.
An elderly man dressed in worn, ragged clothing like a vagrant. He looked at Gunther while leaning on a massive rifle as if it were a cane. Because of the strange angle, Gunther noticed that one of the old man’s legs was a prosthetic. A simple prosthetic design — something actually harder to find in the Border City, which was overflowing with high-tech magi-engineered augmentations.
...That awkward prosthetic seemed like a symbol of the old man’s past, spent far away from civilization for many years.
— So it was you.
After saying this, the old man immediately pulled a pistol from inside his coat. Steel glinted grimly amid the falling snow.
“What the...”
Gunther’s body froze for a moment at the unexpected reaction.
— The ending should be done properly.
The muzzle of the old man’s pistol shifted sideways and aimed at the Elder lying on the ground. ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom
More precisely — straight at his chest.
Bang, bang—!
“...What is this?”
A disgusting insect that had been wriggling beneath the cooling corpse and trying to crawl out was instantly blown apart. After holstering the pistol, the old man suddenly extended his hand. It was obvious he was not the type who enjoyed long introductions.
— The relic.
There was no point trying to dodge the issue with a man like this. Gunther shook his head.
— ...At the moment it is not in my possession. But it will return to me soon.
— That sounds like you offered something in a deal that you do not actually have.
— Yes. It was necessary to meet you and receive your help.
The old man’s expression did not change in the slightest. Nevertheless, Gunther felt as if the edge of a sword had been pressed against the back of his neck. Eyes deep and dry like a long-abandoned well slowly examined him from head to toe.
— I don’t like jokes.
Such a sharp reaction was expected. Even if he had saved Nine, that gratitude would not last forever. From the old man’s perspective, Gunther was a madman who had attempted to toss the symbol of the Society of Forgotten Books into the archbishop’s residence, and a swindler who had lured him out using a valuable relic as bait — only to fail to produce it.
One must not forget.
This old man was the same person who had shot Nine through the heart simply because he was carrying his belongings. There was no telling when that violent temperament might flare up again.
[Alphonse of Red Street shakes his head, urging you to look at the gentleman’s expression]
Yet Gunther’s face remained calm. His original goal had been to lure out the Society of Forgotten Books and bring them to the negotiation table. And now that they were seated at that table, the initiative belonged to him.
Because he possessed an ability no one else could replace.
— I have something far more interesting than that “cane.”
[The Ruler of the Oceans insists that nothing of the sort exists]
— Would you care to hear it?
— .........
The old man silently turned around without saying a word. If he allowed him to leave now, the Society of Forgotten Books would never appear before him again.
Instead of panicking, Gunther slowly raised his hand.
The time had come to reveal his final, decisive card.
Oooooom—
The mana sleeping deep within his lower energy center began to spread like quiet ripples across water. Energy the color of the sea seeped into the freezing air.
Mana granted personally by The Ruler of the Oceans.
A follower of an ancient god who had entered the Labyrinth in search of her relic would never miss such a trace.
And indeed, the old man stopped.
— What is this...
— Just as I thought, you recognized it.
For the first time, Gunther heard a slight tremor in the old man’s voice.
— You... formed a contract with that entity. How?
— It wasn’t easy.
— ...I can imagine.
[The Ruler of the Oceans slightly peeks out at the mention of herself]
[The sniper with the double claw sniffs the air after sensing her presence]
Apparently, after receiving some sort of signal from his god, the sniper made an extremely puzzled expression.
[The Ruler of the Oceans frowns and gestures for him to go away]
[The sniper with the double claw grins widely and circles around her]
[Three gods observe their familiar quarrel]
If he revealed contracts with all three gods right here, the shock would probably double. But for now, The Ruler of the Oceans alone was enough.
The Society of Forgotten Books was an organization that worshipped ancient gods. The mere fact of a contract with one was sufficient for Gunther to be considered one of their own.
Gunther continued with a confident smile.
— It seems both of us have many questions for each other, don’t we?
— .........
The old man could not deny it.
— In that case, let us continue the conversation over there.
Gunther pointed toward Brody’s Office, which stood in the middle of the open field.
A room with warm tea and refreshments was far better suited for friendly negotiations than a snow-covered field littered with the corpses of Perfumers.
“And I should calm Brody down too. She’s probably half-fainting from shock right now.”
Rustle—
Gunther did not wait for an answer and began walking forward.
He knew the bullet would not pierce the back of his head.
And he knew the old man could not simply walk away.
Rustle—
As expected, footsteps followed immediately behind ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ him.
.
.
.
Tiling—!
[Your choice and actions have altered the course of the scenario]
[A branch has emerged!]
[Entering new branch]
[Branch: Veil of Oblivion, in pursuit of forgotten names]
You have encountered a representative of the Society of Forgotten Books. The fact that they are hostile toward Luthien is undeniable, but their goals and actions remain shrouded in mystery. And you are not merely a private individual.
You are a promising member of the organization Night Raven.
Therefore, this meeting will become a moment where both sides test one another — and an important turning point that will determine future relations. Carefully weigh your actions during this interaction.
1. The Society of Forgotten Books is an enemy of Luthien, but by no means a true ally.
2. Whether to earn their trust or keep your distance depends on your choices.
3. Contact with the Society of Forgotten Books may have long-term consequences for the future scenario.
***
— Gunther! What happened here... no, more importantly — are you alright? My God, you’re covered in blood!
He had barely crossed the threshold of the office when Brody rushed out to meet him. Gunther’s gaze involuntarily lingered on her rapidly moving legs.
House slippers.
She had not even had time to change them.
Her socks were already soaking through with snow, darkening quickly.
— Wait, I have a medical kit here...
A horrific battle had unfolded right in the center of the office grounds. Mechanisms and security installations that had cost no less than a thousand gold were completely destroyed, and it was unclear what other consequences might follow. The support team would erase as many traces as possible, but still — this was an incident where Perfumers had died.
The situation had long since gone beyond what could be covered under the status of “business partner,” and Gunther felt immense responsibility and guilt for it.
He swore he would repay it a hundredfold... a thousandfold.
— Just stand still already. Why are you moving so much?
Despite everything, Brody’s eyes contained not calculations of financial loss but genuine concern.
...In some strange ways she behaved nothing like a businessperson.
However, Gunther could not focus long on his grateful ally.
Because behind Brody another unexpected guest was waiting.
“This person...”
At first he did not recognize him.
In his memory the man, despite the massive scar on his face, had been stylishly handsome — like a hero from a noir film.
Now he had turned into a multicolored lump of swollen flesh.
One eyelid had turned dark blue-black, cheeks blotched crimson. His nose had swollen red, and each breath produced a whistling sound like a flute.
— I beat him.
The old man muttered it while walking past Gunther.
Clack—
The sound of the prosthetic striking the floor.
Gunther asked involuntarily.
— Because he previously tried to throw me and my companions into the mouth of the Mother, an evil god?
After a deep sigh, the old man continued.
— ...I apologize for my disciple.
...It seemed the conversation had begun from a position favorable to Gunther.
At that moment Brody, who had been quietly observing the situation, smiled broadly and spoke. Possessing remarkable intuition, she had instantly understood why Gunther had brought these people into this building... to her.
— Well then, shall we not stand in the hallway and instead move into the sitting room?
.
.
.
Soft warmth flowed from the expensive magical heater.
Fragrant tea and delicate sweets warmed chilled bodies.
Outside the blizzard still raged, but inside the sitting room there was a calm atmosphere, as if it were another season entirely.
— Would you like some tea? It’s a very expensive and delicious variety.
Brody took the first sip herself, demonstrating that the drink contained no poison.
— I’m Brody. I manage a small office here. Because of that, I’m fairly well informed about what happens in the surrounding area. And Mr. Gunther is my business partner.
The old man did not respond.
Even so, Brody did not lose her smile.
While carrying out Gunther’s requests, she had gathered fragments of information about the Society of Forgotten Books. Therefore it was not difficult for her to guess the old man’s situation.
A group that had been uprooted decades ago by Luthien.
Those who survived had likely spent years barely existing in isolation from the world.
Their reappearance in the Border City was not merely a return — it was a desperate gamble.
In such circumstances, the old man’s caution toward unidentified individuals was natural.
“For fugitives, revealing their identity and contacting strangers is a risk worth one’s life.”
So Brody chose a strategy of gradually softening the atmosphere.
Instead of asking direct questions, she began with a simple introduction, casually mentioned her relationship with Gunther, and naturally lowered the tension of the conversation. It allowed the old man to breathe and regain a small measure of confidence.
Perhaps because of that, the old man’s severe expression softened slightly.
Gunther did not miss the moment and made a proposal that should interest the old man as well.
— Sir, would you care to exchange questions? One from each side.
— ...Ask.
There was no hesitation in choosing his question.
— How did you know the relic of The Ruler of the Oceans would appear in the Labyrinth at that exact time?
From the Labyrinth until now.
This had been the strangest part of the entire chain of events.
Nine had explained the reason for his appearance in the Labyrinth like this:
“I only knew that you always carried a massive sniper rifle... and that you would appear in the Labyrinth during this period. That’s why I came here.”
How could the old man in the past have known the future decades in advance?
Moreover, this event had not even existed in the original storyline.
No matter how much Gunther thought about it, it defied logic.
He wanted to resolve this doubt before anything else.
— .........
Hearing the unexpected question, the old man closed his eyes for a moment.
But the hesitation did not last long.
The Society of Forgotten Books had long since become a scattered and vanished group. Very few survivors remained, and the fate of most of them was unknown. Even now, though he had returned with hope, the situation remained the same.
In such circumstances, the youth before him was an exceptional existence.
After all, he was a new contractor chosen by an ancient god.
The old man instinctively understood.
Now was not the moment for silence, but for carefully chosen words.
If it was something widely known — something even those close to Luthien surely knew — then revealing it would cause no harm.
On the contrary, if he could extract new information from the boy in return, it would be beneficial.
— Because it was written in a prophecy.
— ...A prophecy?
Gunther had no time even to repeat the word before the old man suddenly began listing facts known to everyone.
— We are those who gathered together dreaming of the revival of the ancient gods and seeking to uncover the truth buried in forgotten ages.
— I know that, but—
— However, does it not make you curious how we, who live barely a hundred years at most, discovered whether the perfectly hidden and fabricated history created by Luthien hundreds of years ago was distorted or not? How we found traces of the ancient gods they buried?
— That...
Gunther’s heart trembled slightly, struck at its weakest point.
The old man whispered in a low voice.
— The answer is the Tablets.
— ...Tablets?
— Records of an Outer God, said to contain everything — both past and future.
A powerful premonition suddenly seized Gunther.
— There was one person who had access to the Tablets.
At the exact moment a name flashed through his mind like lightning, the old man opened his mouth.
