Chapter 105: Three-Way Battle - 4
Chapter 105: Three-Way Battle - 4
At sunset.
In the pleasure district of Waris.
Jiha walked alone.
"Hey there, mister! Come have some fun...."
"Stop it, don't."
Another woman held back the one trying to proposition him.
Hushed voices followed, along with looks of respect cast his way from all directions.
Everyone here now knew that Jiha was the one protecting this street from the gnolls.
Farther down the sloping street, Jiha entered a dilapidated three-story house and went straight up.
On the third floor, Iroha lay on her side in nothing but a thin red robe, staring at him without moving.
Jiha got straight to the point.
"Who do you want killed at the meeting today?"
"No particular scheme in mind."
Setting down her long bamboo pipe, Iroha lifted a bottle of alcohol to her lips.
She looked exactly as she had the last time he saw her; it would be easy to believe she'd been here like this the whole time.
"I didn't arrange this with any ulterior motive. The gnoll boss wanted it, so I simply passed the word to you. I gave you the intel I received. After this, do as you please."
"...."
Jiha stared at her in silence.
She wasn't someone he could fully trust. He'd need to cross-reference with other information to piece together what was really going on.
"The gnoll boss's name?"
"Koral. He's a fairly notorious character among gnolls. Rumored to be recognized as a Dirga mercenary, even."
"Why is he causing trouble in Waris?"
"Because it is Waris."
Iroha smiled coldly.
"This border city is neutral ground. Blue and Purple have split Warsland between them, but neither has ever fully controlled this city. In the gap between powers, all sorts of greed and ambitions are dancing in chaos."
"A convenient place to offload a large batch of Grade 2 weapons?"
"About those Grade 2 weapons...."
Iroha spoke with the air of someone who'd already done her homework.
"There are seventy of them. Mostly daggers, but I heard there's exactly one Grade 1."
This information was likely accurate.
Feeding him lies would offer Iroha no benefit.
"You're a little off there. Seventy Grade 2 weapons are significant to an individual or a group, but from the perspective of an entire faction, they're hardly essential. Doesn't seem like any group is particularly looking to buy them, either."
Meaning they hadn't come to Waris simply to sell weapons at a high price.
"Alright, so why did they come?"
"Perhaps they came to swallow this whole city?"
When Iroha spoke in riddles, Jiha shook his head.
"That doesn't add up. If a Unique is investigating those weapons, it means their origin is still completely unknown. Someone who successfully smuggled weapons out quietly suddenly decides to cause a scene?"
"The scene they've caused amounts to nothing more than raising a ruckus on this street. Killing a couple of pitiful wretches doesn't draw much attention. If they'd beaten a random citizen, a security officer might have been dispatched. But,"
"Was the goal to lure you out?"
"...."
Iroha couldn't step in and handle it herself, which was why she'd made a deal with Jiha, trading money and information for his help.
"No. That's not it."
"Good."
Iroha, living in hiding, would have checked that possibility first.
Without lingering, Jiha turned to leave.
Iroha called after him.
"Nothing else you want to ask?"
"Ah, right. How did you tame those dog ears?"
"About that...."
Iroha gave a bitter smile and shook her head.
"She got it into her head that I protected an innocent young lady in a dangerous place, kept saying she owed me a great debt and would absolutely repay it. She worries about how I live, so she drops by and leaves food."
"A dog who likes taking care of people, huh."
"Fierce loyalty, I'd say. You seem to have taken a liking to her, but don't torment her too much. She's diligent, a rare quality."
Jiha let the remark drift past him and walked out of the room, descending the stairs.
There was only one thing he had most wanted to confirm.
Whether the gnolls and the Gray Elf Iroha were connected.
Now that he'd verified they were not, that was enough.
'I can make a rough guess why Kamain joined hands with the gnolls....'
This was Waris.
A city where the logic of both factions took priority, and whatever happened, the security officers couldn't properly investigate.
"Thanks to me, Enril's life is going quite well...."
Jiha had framed his own deeds as if Enril had done them, allowing her to claim the credit.
In any city other than Waris, that would have been difficult to pull off.
'Then Kamain must be aiming for a promotion, too.'
He had figured out the enemy's purpose.
The meeting with Koral, the gnolls' boss, had been set at a restaurant famous for its seafood.
It was on a bustling main street, a place used by the upper crust of both factions, where no one would normally dream of starting trouble.
The gnolls must have known that and agreed to it.
"Yeah, four hyena-heads went in about thirty minutes ago."
Jiha handed 50,000 rel to the boy he'd posted as a lookout.
"Thank you, sir! See you next time!"
The grimy-looking boy bobbed his head and ran off.
Handing out jobs and spreading money around like this mattered.
Word would spread among those living on the streets that if you went to Jiha, you could get work and get paid.
Building up a reputation in preparation for the not-too-distant future.
"Now then...."
Straightening his thoughts, Jiha approached the restaurant.
Mayan, the dog beastman, and Rugin, the gargoyle, who had already arrived and were waiting, looked back at him.
"You here, Chief?"
"...Chief?"
Mayan side-eyed Rugin as if the term was some bizarre form of address.
Rugin looked uncomfortable too.
"What's this bitch doing here? Don't tell me she's moving with us."
"...."
Even the typically unflappable Mayan's eyes flared at that.
Apparently, such language was still deeply insulting to a dog beastman.
Jiha spoke up in Rugin's defense.
"Ah, let it go. Rugin doesn't say things like that out of malice."
"What, Chief? That's not a woman?"
As Rugin looked baffled, Mayan forcibly swallowed her anger.
She normally didn't let her emotions surface easily, but Jiha was an exception.
Because from the moment her beloved master Enril started meeting with this bastard, Enril had begun behaving in ways Mayan couldn't comprehend.
Mayan's body trembled as she sheathed her sword, and Jiha smirked at her.
"I, on the other hand, do say it out of malice. Hello, bitch."
"If you call me that one more time...."
"What, did Enril give you permission to attack me?"
"...."
Having silenced Mayan, Jiha spoke evenly.
"The job hasn't even started yet. Don't lose your temper right off the bat. You were remarkably composed when I saw you before. Why so hysterical today? In heat?"
"...It's entirely because of you."
"Sure, I am a charming man. Damn pheromones."
Jiha nodded to himself, and Rugin nodded along in agreement.
"If she's in heat, nothing to be done about it. I understand, Chief."
"...I am not in heat!"
Mayan's face flushed bright red as she denied it.
Jiha returned to the matter at hand.
"Well, today's job is to wait quietly and, if I give the signal, kill every last one of them. I might not give the signal, so don't get too tense. If you've got excitement to burn off, do it all now."
"Do you even hear yourself...."
"People can't stay angry forever."
Jiha's voice was cold.
"Anger needs fuel. You can be furious for an hour straight, but three hours later, you calm down."
"What does that...."
"You think the enemy won't try to provoke you?"
Jiha tsked.
"You think we're walking into some dignified diplomatic hall? We're going to a place where people grab each other by the hair and glare while trying to cut each other's throats. They're going to hurl insults at you a lot worse than what I just said."
"...."
As Mayan hesitated, Jiha turned to Rugin.
"Rugin's not only strong for a Common, he's also good at brushing off most provocations."
"Although when Chief does it, it's a bit hard to take."
"How long ago was that?"
After that brief exchange, Jiha addressed Mayan again.
"Expect worse insults than 'bitch.' Words to look down on you, provocations meant to rattle you, crazy shit without a second thought. We're not here just to eat. Brace for someone worse than the worst you're imagining. Swallow what I said and forget it. What if some bastard pops up and slanders your master with every horrific word imaginable? You going to wreck the meeting on your own then?"
"...."
"Enril sure raised a sheltered pup."
A flash of shame crossed Mayan's face.
Her emotional reaction was embarrassing enough in hindsight, but knowing she'd brought shame to her master's name made her want to bite her own tongue off.
Seeing Mayan's dog ears droop, Jiha offered the carrot.
"Well, what just happened was a test run. The real stage comes next, so stay calm. Got it?"
"...Understood."
Jiha nodded at her reply.
'Alright, I've put her in her place for now....'
Half of what Jiha had said was true, but the other half was a lie.
The enemy might be savage gnolls, but....
'Would they dare insult a Super Rare and get their heads caved in? They'll manage their own anger just fine.'
Jiha had prepared various contingency plans in case Mayan went on a rampage, but most people knew fear.
Beat or kill a Super Rare?
There was no way the Unique she served would simply let it slide.
So in most cases, nobody would deliberately antagonize a Super Rare.
The reason that hadn't occurred to Mayan was her lack of experience.
'Enril really did raise her gently....'
As Jiha finished assessing the situation, Rugin glanced back.
"He's here, Chief."
"...."
The one-horned cambion, Kamain, approached.
His brow furrowed when he saw Jiha, Rugin, and Mayan.
"...What in the world is this about?"
"Asira told me to go, so I came, but you still haven't heard the details, right? You're late, so I'll explain as we walk in."
Jiha led the way as he spoke. Rugin and Mayan fell in behind him.
Still without an explanation, Kamain frowned but followed.
"Hey, Common. If you summon someone, you ought to explain what's happening. What on earth...."
"What, you think I called a guy out to dinner because I thought he was pretty?"
"Chief, that one's a bitch."
"...."
Mayan calmly ignored it.
Jiha's words had, unexpectedly, done their work; her anger hadn't lasted long.
At the counter, Jiha stated he had a reservation, and a staff member stepped forward to guide them.
Beneath the bright lights, an unusual group walked past elegantly dressed patrons chatting and dining.
Two Commons and two Super Rares.
Naturally, every eye in the room was drawn to them.
"...."
Kamain and Mayan eyed each other uncomfortably.
Both were of the Super Rare Grade, equals in rank, yet the masters they served belonged to opposing factions.
It was only Asira's righteous character that had kept things from boiling over so far.
Ultimately, they were destined to oppose each other alongside their masters, and so they remained aware of each other without ever having exchanged a single word.
"How are you?"
Kamain's perfunctory greeting was met with Mayan's cold reply.
"Under orders. And you?"
"Well...."
The awkward exchange died there, and both stared at Jiha's back.
Smiling, Jiha headed for the appointed spot.
He spotted the four gnolls who had arrived first and already taken their seats.
The red-furred gnoll sitting alone rose from his place.
"Welcome. J-Jiha...."
The gnoll, Koral, froze mid-sentence.
He'd caught sight of Kamain following behind Jiha.
Kamain, for his part, went rigid with shock the moment he saw Koral.
Jiha stepped forward and spoke with brazen ease.
"My party was running late, so we're a little behind. I'm Jiha. You the one who asked to meet me?"
"No, well...."
Koral faltered backward, unable to tear his eyes away from Kamain.
His face made it clear he urgently wanted out of this situation, and Kamain looked equally flustered, clearly at a loss.
"What's this? Did you suddenly come down with a speech impediment? Or is the boss here that one with the harelip?"
When Jiha looked at the three subordinate gnolls and asked, Koral shook his head.
"No, what in the world...."
"What? Why do you keep stammering? Did you run into your old babbling instructor from kindergarten or something?"
Following Koral's gaze, Jiha turned to look. Kamain instantly composed his face.
Pretending to know nothing, Jiha asked with perfect feigned innocence.
"You two know each other?"
So, I'll let one of you live.
Which one wants to die first?