Chapter 108: Three-Way Battle - 7
Chapter 108: Three-Way Battle - 7
Blue Seal Barracks.
Detention cell.
Koral, locked inside the iron cage, shook his head.
"...Isn't this insane?"
"Would you rather be outside and get knifed by Kamain?"
Jiha, who had locked Koral up here, repeated the terms.
"You were captured by me, and you made a deal. In exchange for your safety, you'll reveal where the weapons came from."
"Yeah, but still, this..."
It was like a mob boss running to the police station to save his own skin.
Except, of course, the one trying to kill him was a high-ranking police officer.
"I can't keep protecting you forever. And inside the detention cell, even Kamain can't just lay a hand on you."
Jiha said it flatly.
"He's been meticulous about hiding his ties to you. He's kept it buried for years... He can't kill you in plain sight."
"......"
Even though he understood, Koral looked deeply reluctant.
"If you just report it to that Unique you serve, it would probably get resolved easily..."
"How am I supposed to crush a Super Rare without evidence?"
Even if Koral and the gnolls testified, they would have no credibility.
"The Uniques will just get into a pissing contest, and Kamain will have free rein. You told your men to scatter and fend for themselves, right?"
"Yes, I told them to go into hiding, but..."
"I can't look after all of them. Just pray Kamain is too busy trying to silence you to bother with them."
With the boss in his sights, he'd want to deal with the boss first.
Leaving Koral inside the barracks would be a thorn in Kamain's side; he'd be losing his mind over it.
Because he could never know when Koral might spill the truth.
"Didn't you say no one would believe me even if I talked?"
"That's a legal matter. My guess is..."
Jiha, who had been speaking, cut himself off.
"Never mind. Forget it."
"Why stop mid-sentence?"
"When the Unique shows up later, just get your story straight with me."
Jiha waved a hand and left.
It was about time everyone turned in for the night.
Just before bedtime, Jiha knocked on Asira's door.
A voice came from inside the VIP guest quarters.
"What is it?"
"I came to talk about something."
"Ah, wait a moment."
Sounds of bustling movement came from inside, then the door opened.
Asira stood there in light sleepwear.
A red one-piece dress with white lace, feminine and subtly outlining her figure.
When Jiha's eyes involuntarily flicked to her attractively prominent chest, Asira smiled.
"This nightgown—Yura picked it out for me. Does it suit me?"
"......"
She's dying to show Yura off.
Jiha tsked. Asira spoke.
"If it's going to be a long talk, I'll get ready to come out."
"It's not especially long..."
When Jiha glanced past her into the room, Asira seemed a bit flustered and shook her head.
"I haven't finished unpacking, so it's not proper to receive a guest. I'm sorry, please understand."
"Were you reading a book or something?"
"...Uh. Yes. Just passing the time lightly."
Asira gave an uncharacteristically vague answer, and Jiha smirked.
Thanks to his advance research, he had a good guess what she'd really been doing.
"I'm fond of reading myself. What were you reading?"
"...Ah, a book on etiquette handed down among demons. It's not something I can show carelessly."
Asira answered, but she clearly looked flustered.
'Just like Yura, she can't lie well...'
Well, exposing Asira's private hobbies could wait.
Jiha got to the point.
"With your subordinates' help, things went well. I captured the gnoll boss who had the Grade 2 weapons. He's locked up in the detention cell now."
"Really? Then let's go see him now."
"No, there's no rush. He's exhausted and resting, so we'll interrogate him tomorrow."
Asira nodded and patted Jiha on the shoulder.
"I asked you to handle it, and you handled it splendidly. Are you hurt anywhere?"
"No, I'm fine. More importantly..."
Jiha brought up the main subject.
"Why did you take Kamain under your wing?"
"I don't think this is a discussion to have in the person's absence."
"His competence is just the result. But taking him under your protection must have drawn all kinds of bad rumors, hasn't it?"
Asira's expression turned serious.
"Did something happen at today's meeting?"
"It's an important matter."
When Jiha said only that, Asira was lost in thought for a while before speaking.
"Because demon blood flows in him."
"Incubus?"
"Not many know about that, but you do..."
Asira looked surprised for a moment, then spoke.
"In ancient times, long before recorded history, a few races branched off from the demons. The incubus was one of them, but due to various events, they're a race you can no longer find. Kamain is likely the last descendant carrying incubus blood."
"They were wiped out."
"......"
To gain information, sometimes you have to give it first.
Surprised that Jiha knew, Asira admitted it openly.
"Yes, you're right. Cheonho exterminated the incubus race."
"......"
"It was a cruel affair..."
Asira shook her head.
"Back then, I was weak and hadn't yet established my position, so I couldn't stop Cheonho. But after I learned about Kamain, who carries incubus blood, I secretly protected him and then negotiated with Cheonho."
From the stories he'd heard, Cheonho was the type to cause bloodbaths without hesitation.
That meant Asira had made a deal with that Legend over Kamain's life or death.
"You stood up to Cheonho for a complete stranger?"
"There is a connection. He carries incubus blood, and I am a demon. And Cheonho isn't so harsh a person... she permitted it conditionally."
"What was the condition?"
"That Kamain would not reveal his incubus nature. That was the condition."
Asira said it calmly.
"And what is this nature?"
"Beyond that, it's truly not something I should speak of. If you're really curious, ask him directly. Oh, and if Kamain presses you on where you heard this, tell him you heard it from me. That way, he won't pester you."
Jiha gave the considerate Asira a sideways look.
The nature of an incubus?
Given Kamain's womanizing behavior, he could guess.
"So, do you think that's working out well?"
"Kamain is a flawless knight. Upright and righteous, he never hesitates to fight for his comrades and the weak. On top of that, he is wise and thoughtful."
"Holy Roman Empire, I see."
"What is that?"
It means it's all nonsense.
As Jiha frowned, Asira asserted.
"There have been those who suspected Kamain or viewed him poorly, but he has kept proving himself. He has earned recognition that he overcame his race's nature and, beyond that, is striving to live more righteously. At first many were suspicious, but now everyone believes in him. I'm the same."
"Everyone, huh..."
They're all blind.
Jiha was about to say that but stopped himself.
It just showed how skilled Kamain was at acting.
'The glimpses he showed me... Was it because I'm close to Asira?'
Jiha's casual attitude around Asira must have grated on him, making his mask crack.
"You really act like a mother."
"...Do I look that old?"
Asira fumbled, touching her face.
Her beauty, with pale blue-tinged skin, made her look no older than her early twenties, though.
"...Then that's a big problem. A very big problem."
"Anyway..."
Jiha stared at Asira for a moment, then inwardly shook his head.
If she trusted Kamain this much and had known him for so long, nothing he said would matter.
Even if she saw it with her own eyes, she wouldn't believe it right away.
"Let's talk more next time. I'm going."
"Jiha."
When Jiha stopped, Asira said gently.
"Will you be Kamain's friend?"
"You look stupid when you joke like that."
"I'm speaking in earnest."
Asira sounded quite worried.
"Kamain is outstanding and lacks nothing, but he hardly has any friendships with men. Even when he was Rare Grade... I don't know if there was some trouble, but he didn't get along well with men. And after he was promoted to Super Rare, he's had almost no chance to socialize with men... It's been on my mind."
"So you want to make him a slave boyfriend?"
"If hearts align, can't you connect beyond rank?"
"That's not something a Unique, just below the pinnacle of the ranking system, should say."
Jiha drew a cold line.
"What you're saying is no different from a wealthy person sitting by the fireplace, spending a warm winter, claiming to understand a beggar freezing to death on the street."
"...Is that so. Then I was wrong. I can't take back my words, but I apologize."
Asira immediately admitted it and even slightly bowed her head.
Even though it was just the two of them, so there was no need to do that.
"Still, it would be nice if you could at least be a conversation partner for him from time to time. That's something I can't do..."
"You sound like a mother worrying about her son's friendships. Just stop."
"...Was I?"
Jiha took another step.
"Thank you for your kind advice. I'd be happy if we have another chance to talk next time."
Ignoring the gentle voice from behind, Jiha walked down the corridor.
"She's not stupid, but..."
It was only natural Asira didn't suspect Kamain.
Who would imagine that a guy she personally took in, protected, and believed had grown up righteous, a guy everyone praises in unison, was actually a bastard?
"In that case..."
There were ways to crush Kamain, but that required Asira's consent or tacit approval.
But with her defending him like that, it seemed difficult.
'If I rally Enril, Yura, Leticia, and even the Commons, I could obviously crush Asira. But that's the worst of the worst options. The best way... is to expose Kamain's true nature in front of Asira. That would make it easy to arrange things to my liking.'
Use the same method that turned Koral and Kamain against each other again?
But Asira's situation was different.
She opened her heart even to a Common like Jiha, listened to his opinions, and trusted him.
With her noble nature of opening her heart to anyone, she truly wouldn't suspect Kamain easily.
As he was thinking of a method, Jiha came to an abrupt halt.
At the end of the corridor was a familiar face.
The handsome man with a single horn, Kamain, stood there.
His hand was on his waist, gripping his sword's hilt.
"......"
"......"
There were only the two of them in the corridor.
'A dead end...'
It was exactly the situation Jiha had wanted to avoid most: confronting a strong enemy unprepared, with a fight about to break out.
Kamain stared at him silently with sunken eyes.
Even if he'd gotten his position through trickery, a Super Rare was not an opponent to take lightly.
Moreover, because of what Jiha had done to him, his wariness was heightened.
If things went wrong, it would be a life-or-death fight right here.
Kamain didn't make the first move, only glared at him silently.
It meant he was gauging what Jiha knew, how much he knew, and what he intended to do before deciding his next move.
In a word, everything would be decided.
Jiha opened his mouth cautiously.
"Asira... she's way too defenseless, you know?"