Chapter 129: Stepping into the Light
Chapter 129: Stepping into the Light
By the time they finished twice more, the day was already fading.
Asira sat leaning against the headboard.
"Do you still feel like dying?"
"......."
Naked and wrapped in the blanket, Asira was in a daze. Her expression showed she had no energy left to even answer. It was the look of someone worrying about the future and not knowing how to deal with Jiha.
"Don't think about dying. If you die, Yura won't be able to bear it."
"......."
A flinch.
Silent until now, Asira trembled the moment Yura was mentioned.
Jiha scanned the room with genuine concern, checking for any blade that could serve as a weapon. Right now, Asira's mental state was completely shattered. She could make a desperate choice.
"Asira, I have to take care of the aftermath for now. I'll be back tonight, so rest here and wait for three or four hours."
"......."
"Answer me."
When Jiha spoke softly yet firmly, Asira stared blankly at him. Jiha repeated himself.
"I need you to answer so I can leave with peace of mind."
"......Fine."
Asira's voice was hoarse.
Jiha nodded. "We'll finish this conversation when I get back tonight."
"......."
Asira bowed her head and went silent.
Clack.
Jiha stepped out of the room and sorted his thoughts.
'With Yura around, Asira probably won't do something truly reckless. But there's always that one-in-a-million chance. I'll post someone outside the room and use Lijin. And...'
Those romance novels Asira secretly devoured. He had read several in advance to gauge her inclinations. The rest could be settled tonight.
When he stepped outside the building, Lijin and the Commons were waiting. Uben stepped forward and asked, "Is the job done?"
"Kamain is dead. The body's still inside, so clean it up."
The Commons threw their arms up in triumph. Jiha had eliminated that insufferable Super Rare.
"Woahhhh!!"
"Long live the commander!"
The Commons cheered, and Jiha acknowledged them with a nod. As the shouts died down, Jiha shifted his gaze to Lijin.
It had been a while since he'd seen her face-to-face. Her elegant, refined beauty was unchanged—black hair braided neatly, dressed in formal attire.
Lijin gave a slight bow of her head. "Lady Leticia has come to visit, and Lady Enril is receiving her."
"Why is she here?"
"I contacted her to prepare for a possible contingency. Sir Uben was against it, but I took responsibility."
"Did you now?"
At Jiha's glance, Uben took the hint and quickly ushered the Commons away.
Once they were alone, Jiha confirmed again. "That was your reason for calling Leticia in?"
"I apologize. I judged that in a worst-case scenario—on the off chance—we would need combat strength on your side."
She was saying she had worried about Asira and Kamain joining forces as Jiha's enemies.
"Lady Enril alone might have struggled, so I thought bringing in Lady Leticia was the right call, even if it meant some information leakage."
"You and Leticia must be on pretty good terms if she followed your suggestion."
"Yes, she's actually a gentle person."
Jiha watched her for a moment and nodded. "Understood. But from now on, don't involve yourself in military affairs."
"Yes, I considered this an unavoidable exception."
"So you knew what you were doing?"
"Lady Leticia didn't seem aware of our internal circumstances. I knew it wasn't my domain, but I was still concerned, so... I apologize."
The Uniques—Yura, Enril, and Leticia. All of them had become Jiha's women and followed him, but information flow between them was hardly smooth. Yura seemed to know everything. Enril suspected Jiha had taken Leticia and more, but pretended not to know. Leticia didn't have the faintest idea that Jiha had other women. Even among the women following Jiha, internal coordination was a mess, and mutual cooperation was nonexistent.
Lijin had seen right through it all and brought Leticia in.
Jiha nodded. "Alright. You did well."
"......No, I think I overstepped."
"It was fine this time. Also, Asira is in the VIP suite. I'll go back there tonight, so watch her until then. Keep Yura from getting close."
"Yes, understood."
He meant for her to keep Asira company nearby and keep an eye on her. Lijin grasped his intent immediately. "Yes, understood."
After bowing her head, Lijin shifted the topic. "Lady Leticia also appears to have personal business with you, Lord Jiha. I've noticed signs of it recently, but she wouldn't tell me anything, so I couldn't figure it out. Wouldn't it be best to meet her in person?"
At Lijin's belated revelation, Jiha laughed. "Were you planning to use that card to defend yourself if things went south?"
"I thought this might make you look upon me a little more favorably."
"You pretend to be polite, but you're actually quite cheeky."
"I apologize."
Lijin laughed along with him. She was a bit presumptuous, but her execution was excellent. What this half-elf secretary had done was technically overreaching, but she'd done it with Jiha's safety as her top priority after much deliberation.
"Alright. Handle this one well too."
When Jiha patted her shoulder, Lijin's pale cheeks flushed slightly. "......Thank you."
One word of praise and she became a shy girl.
Jiha withdrew his hand and turned away. "I'll leave Asira in your hands then."
Before finishing Asira's persuasion, he would sort out the surrounding situation first.
Jiha entered Enril's office. Enril and Leticia were sitting across from each other, drinking tea in silence.
"Since when did you two get so close?"
"What nonsense are you talking? That's creepy."
Leticia looked disgusted, and Enril also furrowed her brow. "That day will never come. Ever."
Jiha naturally sat in the seat of honor and crossed his legs. He was a Common, sitting boldly in the highest seat, but both Enril and Leticia accepted it as a matter of course. Anyone unaware of the situation would have been dumbfounded. It meant a Common slave was sitting above a Unique Elf and a Unique Dark Elf, each representing their faction.
"Kamain is dead. Asira will be stepping aside for the time being."
Jiha skipped the process and gave only the result. Both Enril and Leticia looked startled.
"What? What are you talking about? Kamain is a Super Rare demon knight. Why is she dead?"
"......How do you plan to handle the aftermath?"
"That bastard committed insubordination."
Jiha intended to cover it up by making it look like Kamain had challenged Asira and been dealt with by her. He was saying he would fabricate the death of a Super Rare. It was incredibly dangerous, but Enril and Leticia said nothing. The two had already experienced how Jiha handled his affairs.
Jiha looked at Leticia and asked, "So, what's your business?"
"Blue Seal's..."
"How much trouble are you planning to cause me?"
Enril and Leticia spoke over each other, their voices blending together.
"If it's the same topic, Enril goes first."
"What? You asked while looking at me..."
At Jiha's decision, Leticia seemed rather offended, while Enril subtly looked pleased.
'These two really do hate each other.'
He knew Leticia had a prickly temper, but Enril was also quietly emotional about it.
Enril spoke quickly. "They say a Dirga is coming to Waris."
"I've heard the name... Are they weapon merchants?"
"A subspecies of dwarf. Though they get very angry if you say that."
When Leticia promptly cut in, Enril frowned. "They're a race that excels at making weapons and armor. A female-only race, but their craftsmanship surpasses any other race in Warsland. It pains me to say it, but even our elven weapons don't compare to a Dirga's."
"Okay. Why are they coming?"
Having been sidelined for a moment, Enril quickly composed herself at Jiha's question. With Leticia watching her deal with Jiha, she couldn't afford to show any gaps.
"She's a Unique as well. More specifically... she'll likely be coming with the aim of supporting me."
"Was it a Legend's order to balance the power since Yura and Asira staying in Waris is inconvenient?"
"No, it's probably not the Queen's idea. It'll be the Dirga's own judgment."
Yura and Asira, a Legend and a Unique, were followers of Cheonho. Two against one was unfavorable, so a Unique from Enril's faction was coming to Waris as backup.
"But they can't say that outright. Will the official pretext be an investigation of the Grade 2 weapons spreading through Waris?"
"Yes, that's right... Keeping Asira in check may be part of it, but there's also curiosity about the weapons. Dirgas are born artisans. They spare no effort to craft superior weapons."
"Right. And they also look for men."
Leticia tossed out a pointed remark. When Jiha glanced at her, she scowled. "I told you earlier. Dirgas are a female-only race. They have a secondary goal of finding superior males to leave descendants. There are even stories about them roaming around looking for men."
"Did you come here just to explain that?"
At Jiha's laugh, Leticia was visibly flustered. "......Wh-what? Did I come somewhere I wasn't supposed to?"
"Honestly, yes."
For her, a member of Purple, to wander in and out of Blue Seal's barracks like it was her own home was a bit much.
At Jiha's reply, Leticia flared up. "Do you even realize the situation right now? Four of Blue Seal's Uniques will be gathering in Waris. Are you trying to start a war? That kind of talk is slowly beginning to circulate among Purple too. If you have no intention of fighting, send one or two of them away now!"
"Hmm..."
Leticia had a point. Waris was a city both Blue and Purple wanted to swallow. Having two Uniques stationed on each side was effectively an unwritten rule for maintaining the armistice. If a Dirga came as well, Blue Seal would have four Uniques, while right now Purple had only Leticia alone.
Leticia angrily pointed at Enril. "That black-ass doesn't even need to be here. Send her off to another city already!"
"I'll have to explain the situation when the Dirga arrives, you dried-up, yellowed apple-core."
"You keep insulting me for being skinny, but men like slender women! Your ass is just fat!"
"You speak as if you know what men like. Stop drinking milk. Nothing's going to grow anyway—what a waste."
Enril sneered, and Leticia's face turned bright red as she slammed the table. "You've said enough! You dark elf! Who says I don't know what men like!"
"You do. You. Honestly..."
Enril smiled with composure, stealing a quick glance at Jiha.
Jiha put a stop to their squabbling with a click of his tongue. "Cut the chatter..."
It was true that concentrating so much military strength in Waris would stir up winds of war. After a moment's thought, Jiha nodded. "Why doesn't Purple just send a Unique as backup too? Wouldn't that solve it? Why were you alone in the first place? Where's the celestial Unique?"
"That's what I'm trying to..."
Even with Jiha's impatient gaze pressing her, Leticia trailed off. "......I want to talk when we're alone."
Her voice was weak for Leticia—practically pleading. It seemed there were circumstances she didn't want to discuss in front of Enril.
"For now, let the Dirga come. And..."
"She isn't coming alone."
Enril added a caveat. "Dirgas don't make weapons and sell them. They only hand them to men they acknowledge. A Dirga-made weapon is vastly superior to others of the same grade. That's why her vicinity is always swarming with men trying to earn her recognition and receive a weapon. The Dirga uses such men as her escorts in return."
"So a traveling circus. How big is it?"
"An ordinary Dirga has anywhere from a few to several dozen—rarely more than a hundred... But the Dirga coming this time is a Unique, the most outstanding of them all, so the group she leads will be large."
"So how many is she bringing with her?"
Enril replied. "Two thousand three hundred."
"A private army, then. So thousands of people follow one person's whim?"
"A Dirga doesn't just take anyone as an escort guard. She only accepts men of proven skill. So even the low-ranking ones will be fairly capable fighters."
"Do you see why I came now?" Leticia spoke irritably. "It's not just any Unique—a Dirga coming in the current situation is way too much. If over two thousand thugs run rampant in Waris, who knows what might happen? Who'll take responsibility? Even putting me aside, Purple is watching Waris closely too. You never know where the sparks will fly."
"......."
As Jiha sank into thought, the Elf and the Dark Elf simply watched his face. His decision would determine what happened next. Enril and Leticia were already submissive to Jiha.
"Doesn't matter. Let her come."
"......What? Are you serious? I explained it to you!"
When Leticia raised her voice, Jiha shrugged. "I've been needing a proper weapon anyway." He'd secured numerous Grade 2 weapons, but they were all daggers. They didn't suit him very well. There were other considerations behind the decision, but Leticia took him at face value and retorted sharply.
"If you need a weapon, you can just ask me! It may not match a Dirga weapon, but an Elven Weapon isn't something to scoff at either!"
"Elven Weapons are only used by one's own clan..."
Enril spoke calmly, looking at Leticia.
"And aren't weapons forged within a family forbidden from leaving the house? Isn't giving one to an outsider only permitted as a gift of devotion to one's fated companion?"
"Ah..."
Leticia, who had stood up in her anger, turned bright red and flopped back down into her seat.
Jiha cut in decisively. "Just let the Dirga come. We'll find out what happens when we meet her. Leticia, get up."
"......Huh? Where are you going?"
Leticia looked at Jiha quizzically. "You said you had something to say. Let's go outside and talk."
Since it had to be just the two of them.
Outside the building, as Jiha was getting some fresh air, Leticia followed him out and fumed.
"We could have just kicked the dark elf out of there. Why do we have to come outside to talk?"
"That's Enril's workplace. We should be the ones to leave."
Enril was already following him. There was no need to disrespect her workspace.
"So why hasn't Purple sent another Unique even when things have come to this?"
The more chaotic Waris became and the more Uniques flocked there, the more Jiha stood to gain. That was why he had told them to let the Dirga come. But he didn't understand why Purple was staying quiet despite Blue Seal's moves.
"The truth is..."
Leticia opened her mouth.