Chapter 123: Breaking the Spirit - 10
Chapter 123: Breaking the Spirit - 10
The café in the afternoon.
Jiha sat on the terrace.
Across from him, the pale-blue-skinned beauty Asira drank her coffee and nodded.
"Yes, sweet."
"You really do take it sweet..."
How much sugar did she put in?
At that, Asira gave a wry smile.
"I like coffee, but the bitterness is a bit much."
Jiha let the conversation trail off as he gazed out at the street.
Asira drank her coffee in silence.
There were no other customers around.
When Jiha made the reservation, the shop owner had insisted on serving him personally and cleared out the area.
Now that Jiha had a stake in Waris's commercial sector, the merchants were watching his every move.
'First, I invested 1 billion in lodging, then upped it to 2 billion for the second round. Of course they all went wild.'
When he doubled his initial 1 billion investment in the most promising lodging business, the merchants completely lost their heads.
They were acting like lapdogs, desperate to win his favor and secure his investment.
To them, it must have looked like blind money—hard cash falling from the sky.
'Of course, they'll soon learn it's not that simple...'
They would find out soon enough what it meant to have a frightening investor.
Besides, Waris was a city already in the palm of Jiha's hand. Money he put into his own streets would come back with interest.
While his mind worked through future plans, Jiha asked in a casual tone.
"What's Kamain doing?"
"...He won't speak."
Asira shook her head bitterly.
"Now he won't even look at my face. He's barely touching his food."
"You think he might try suicide?"
"I couldn't be sure, so I asked Enril's Super Rare, a girl named Mayan, to watch him before I left."
"Don't be too soft."
Jiha said it in an offhand tone.
"You've seen enough now to know he wasn't the righteous man you thought, haven't you? Do you still not believe what you saw with your own eyes, or do you think there's room for reform?"
"No, if he did wrong, he should be punished. But it must be done through proper procedure and rules. It's not something to be handled on a superior's whim."
"..."
Rule of law. Those were words that didn't belong in Warsland, where the strong prey on the weak.
Asira let out a wry smile.
"An idealistic notion, isn't it? I know that much. Lady Cheonho found it absurd. She said I was soft and shallow."
"I agree."
"I know rule by force is fast and efficient. But does that make the world a better place? I think people should have learned otherwise from the last Great War, from the Thousand-Year War."
Asira gently shook her head.
"That's why, more than ever, I want to put Kamain before a proper court, lay his crimes out for all to see, make him beg forgiveness, and give him a just punishment. I, too, must take responsibility."
This was bad.
Asira seemed to see this incident as a chance to prove her convictions.
'She's thinking of becoming a martyr.'
Sometimes sacrifice proved sincerity.
Asira changed the subject.
"Thank you for calling me out here, thinking of my state of mind. Did Yura tip you off?"
"My own judgment. Yura doesn't know."
Asira had been holed up in the VIP room, which she used as both bedroom and office, citing the need to guard Kamain.
You can't lay siege to a man who's barricaded himself inside.
Jiha had deliberately called her out as part of his plan.
'There's not a single Unique in the barracks right now. Asira is here, and I sent Yura and Enril out on errands on purpose. The Commons spread the info by chattering in the halls, so Kamain overheard it...'
Kamain would think today was his golden opportunity to make a move.
Jiha was using himself as bait to finish Kamain off for good.
And in the process, he'd naturally bring Asira into the fold.
'Today, it ends.'
Asira, who knew nothing of Jiha's calculations or inner thoughts, hesitated and shook her head.
"...Oh dear. That's awkward. I'll have to apologize to Yura later."
"..."
"Even if it wasn't my intention, I've essentially borrowed her future husband without permission."
Jiha shot Asira, who was forcing a smile, a crooked look.
This demon was serious about seeing Jiha and Yura married.
'Marriage...'
What was the point when his life could end with one wrong step?
Asira bowed her head gently.
"Thank you for worrying about me, Jiha. Coming out like this, drinking coffee, watching people come and go on the street—it's refreshing."
"..."
"This has been a great lesson for me. To think I was so focused on what lay ahead that I failed to see those following behind me..."
Jiha shifted the topic.
"Are you really planning to marry me and Yura?"
"Of course. She reported it to me with that intention..."
Asira stopped mid-sentence and hesitated.
Jiha didn't miss the reaction he'd been waiting for.
"You must know there's a problem between us?"
"...I've heard about it."
Asira spoke awkwardly.
"I know it's a serious matter, but I'll look into solutions as best I can. So I hope you won't worry too much. If you show you're concerned, Yura will blame herself again... It's not her fault, so please don't be too hard on her."
"What are you talking about?"
"...Didn't Yura tell you the reason?"
Asira looked flustered, then lowered her voice even though no one else was around.
"...Yura isn't doing it because she likes it that way. She's not giving permission because you'd be in danger."
"..."
Under Jiha's stare, Asira averted her eyes.
The sight of her pale-blue skin faintly reddening was beautiful.
'She did well.'
Jiha had fed Asira false information through Yura.
Yura was now so deeply infatuated with him that she prioritized his words over Asira's.
Asira believed Jiha and Yura had a platonic relationship, holding hands only.
Naturally. Trying anything with a succubus would mean death.
Since Asira knew that and trusted Yura, she concluded the two hadn't been intimate yet.
It was a trick Jiha could only pull off because he had fully taken Yura.
'She doesn't imagine for a second that sweet Yura is lying to her. Even more so because it was a secret consultation Yura supposedly shared in trust.'
Completely convinced, Asira looked troubled.
"I heard once, a long time ago... that for a man to survive in that situation, his Mana must be three times greater than the succubus's. Yura's Mana capacity surpasses even mine, but... I'll find a way."
"...Hmm."
Asira's concern and judgment were natural.
Jiha, too, would have been completely drained and killed that night without his Bloodsucking Mana.
Jiha let out a deliberate sigh.
"Is that even possible?"
"...Please trust me and wait."
Though embarrassed, Asira kept talking.
Out of a sense of duty to defend Yura's position.
"Yura isn't refusing you because she dislikes you. It's purely out of concern for you. She was probably too embarrassed to explain it to you properly... but it's not something she can control. It's a matter of her species."
"..."
When Jiha stared at her quietly, Asira cleared her throat for no reason.
Even she, normally so dignified, grew awkward about bedroom matters and talked around them.
"Of course, even to me, Yura is an incredibly lovely girl. It's only natural that you, as the man who's won her heart, would want more. Just wait a little while..."
"How long do I have to wait? Men can't wait forever. We're different from women."
"..."
Asira shut her mouth, looking troubled.
She had taken the bait completely.
Jiha shook Asira's heart further.
"Yura even told me to sleep with another woman if it was too hard."
"What do you... Are you serious?"
Asira was surprised at first, then grew sad as she understood the implication.
At her conflicting emotions, Jiha nodded.
"Don't tell Yura about this. She'll really be angry with me."
"Yes, of course..."
Asira spoke with anxious urgency.
"I'm not a man, but..."
"Do we need to keep talking about this? There's no solution, so talking only makes it irritating. Let's stop."
Jiha calculated and pulled back.
Embarrassed as she was, since it involved Yura, Asira tried to placate him.
"It's not that there's no way. First, I could petition Lady Cheonho to have you recognized as Rare Grade, and then as Super Rare Grade..."
"Enril's Super Rare slot is already taken by Mayan."
"Then I could..."
"Think a little."
Jiha tsked with exaggerated scorn.
Asira, more worried about Yura than herself, was someone Jiha could toy with as he pleased.
The woman who had only lamented when she learned Kamain's true nature now looked distraught.
'Before I land the finishing blow, I'll chip away at her defenses a bit...'
Jiha spoke as he calculated.
"Leaving my consent aside, how would it look to others? Wouldn't it seem like I crushed Kamain to grab the Super Rare spot?"
"I could explain..."
"Explain what? Are you going to go around saying you made me a Super Rare because, even though I married a succubus, we can't have sex? How would Yura feel?"
"..."
Asira fell silent, having no answer.
The Drain was an important secret among succubi.
Judging by the fact that Asira knew, it wasn't an absolute secret, but it wasn't something to be spread around publicly either.
"Even if somehow we get past all that and I become a Super Rare, I'll die of old age long before I ever have enough Mana to surpass Yura."
"That..."
"Humans don't live long."
Completely refuted, Asira fell silent.
Jiha had seasoned the conversation just enough.
"I'll watch the situation for now, but I might have to break up with Yura."
"You can't mean for such a reason..."
"It's torment for a man when he can't do anything. Besides, you know yourself how attractive Yura is."
"..."
"I'm holding myself back from touching her by sheer force. I'm reaching my limit."
At his blunt declaration of boiling lust, Asira lowered her eyes in embarrassment.
Jiha kept pressing.
"I've thought about it a lot, and I'm only telling you. For now, only you know."
"...Then why did you tell me, even lying to do so?"
Confirming the meaning of Jiha's earlier provocation. This was easy to brush off.
"Yura seemed reluctant to hide it from you, so I just stepped in. Since I was at it, I puffed my chest out a bit."
"..."
Asira didn't doubt his words.
Though she held him in high regard, Jiha was a Common. She could never imagine he possessed Mana exceeding a Unique's.
In truth, that assessment was correct.
The reason Jiha had been able to safely take Yura was because of the nature of his Bloodsucking Mana.
'Besides, Yura said the same thing, so Asira will never suspect.'
Asira, who had been deep in worry, gave a long sigh.
"I see. So that's why you've been so harsh and aggressive lately... because it's been hard to endure."
"Something like that."
She'd arbitrarily decided that Jiha's behavior stemmed from sexual frustration, but there was no need to correct her.
'She really does see me in a good light...'
Once you start seeing someone favorably, there's no end to it.
You end up believing they must have had a good reason for everything they do.
Asira was righteous and fair, but once she opened her heart to someone, she didn't doubt them.
"I understand the situation. I'll think of a solution quickly... for now, can you trust me and wait?"
"I can't wait long. I'm at my limit in more ways than one."
"Yes, I'll hurry as much as I can..."
Asira nodded, looking torn.
'At least she seems to have some knowledge of male desire, so the conversation gets through.'
It was a result achieved because he had already figured out she was an avid reader of romance novels—especially ones with explicit bed scenes.
As Jiha drank his water, a Blue Seal Common burst in.
It was Piron the centaur.
He was fast on his feet and often served as a messenger in emergencies.
"Commander! Come to the barracks, quick!"
"What?"
Piron, about to speak, hesitated when he saw Asira.
Jiha nodded, granting permission to speak.
"That... the cambion! Kamain is running wild!"
Asira's face hardened.
Jiha inwardly rejoiced.
The trap had been sprung.
Today, he would bring Asira into the fold.