Chapter 136: Stepping into the Light - 8
Chapter 136: Stepping into the Light - 8
Jiha grabbed Leticia by the arm and took her directly back to the Blue Seal barracks.
Leticia was dragged away right before their eyes, and not a single person dared to block his path.
The barracks, Enril's office.
Sprawled on the sofa with his legs stretched out, Jiha kept his eyes closed, organizing his thoughts.
'Working from the shadows is effective, but it isn't all-powerful. If I'm going to step forward as the ruler of Waris and the head of all three factions, the citizens need to trust me and follow me... and shadow-work can't achieve that.'
Only the Commons and a handful of insiders knew that Jiha was the true conductor behind every recent event.
The ordinary citizens had no idea.
His name had become known because of the Summoning War armistice and the investments flooding the commercial sector, but he was still treated as a Common.
'Uniques aside, the Legends and those above them will have spies stationed in Waris. The moment I step into the light, I'll be exposed. But...'
Jiha reexamined his conclusion.
'The intelligence they're getting is only half the picture. Blue can't truly grasp Purple's situation, and Purple has no way of knowing what's really going on inside Blue. And even if they learn something, I can feed disinformation through the middle and throw both sides into confusion. In that gap, I'll imprint my existence onto the citizens of Waris and solidify my foundation for independence.'
Jiha had Enril, Yura, and Leticia.
With the ability to move Uniques from both camps, it was entirely feasible.
'For instance, Purple will probably suspect that today's incident—me crushing those elves—was actually a scheme orchestrated by the dark elf Enril. In that case...'
As Jiha remained deep in thought, Leticia, seated across from him, pressed impatiently.
"What are you planning to do? Hey, are you listening?"
"I'm thinking. Give me a moment."
Flinching, Leticia spoke cautiously.
"...I'm like this because I'm worried. Did I say something strange?"
Watching his expression carefully, Leticia continued.
"Every elf saw what you did. Now they're all going to band together and come after you, you know?"
"The same ones who stood by and watched while you were dragged off?"
Not a single elf had stepped forward to stop Jiha when he seized Leticia by the hand and pulled her away.
The fear of Jiha had come first.
'If they'd thought about it for even a moment, they'd realize something was off...'
Leticia was a Unique, a powerhouse capable of sweeping away every elf in that room if she set her mind to it.
Did it make any sense that a woman like that couldn't resist just because Jiha grabbed her hand?
But the elves who watched had faces that showed the thought hadn't even crossed their minds.
They saw it as a delicate princess being abducted by a vicious villain.
"You really do get treated like you're nothing, don't you?"
On top of that, Leticia had gone so far as to apologize to Enril to prevent a clash, and they'd turned around and blamed her anyway. It was beyond absurd.
Jiha opened his eyes and asked.
"Why the hell do you live like that?"
"..."
Leticia averted her eyes, clearly deeply ashamed.
It was Enril's office, but the two of them were alone. Still, Leticia's expression showed she had no intention of answering quickly.
When Jiha pressed her with his gaze, Leticia sighed.
"There's nothing I can do about it. It's not like I enjoy putting up with it... but they're still my people."
"And yet they don't exactly treasure you as one of their own, do they?"
"..."
Struck right at the heart of the matter, Leticia shut her mouth.
When relatives act insufferable during a holiday gathering, you can't exactly flip the ritual table and beat them senseless, can you?
Especially when it's not just one or two but dozens, all speaking with one voice.
Leticia had become an elven supremacist to rationalize her own circumstances, to justify the life of endurance she was forced to live.
'Like saying you have to go through military service to become a real man. That kind of psychology.'
Jiha could see right through why Leticia was the way she was.
He closed his eyes again and reached his conclusion.
'They lost Leticia right in front of their eyes, so the elves will be debating blame and countermeasures internally. But there's no elven male left who can fight me anymore. And even if one existed, he wouldn't want to fight me in the Summoning War with crowds watching...'
That was why Jiha had added the provision allowing a proxy.
Now the elven men would search for and hire a champion to fight Jiha in their place.
'Not bad as a drama.'
Turning the elven residential district upside down was Jiha's first-phase plan to announce his existence to the light.
The second-phase plan was to film the sequel in the Summoning War.
'If I promote it as a fight over Leticia, people will flock to watch. It creates an easy-to-understand setup.'
Men fighting over a woman.
And what if that woman is Unique Grade?
The public would naturally pay attention.
'I'll size up whatever opponent they drag in, put together a suitable script... and then drive them into a corner.'
It was a project to capture the hearts of the masses, a necessary step toward stepping forward as the ruler of Waris.
When Jiha opened his eyes, Leticia wore a startled expression.
Judging by how her upper body was leaning forward, she must have been trying to get a closer look at him.
"Ah..."
To the flustered Leticia, who hastily straightened her back, Jiha gave a short command.
"Stay still."
"..."
Leticia reflexively froze in place.
Jiha watched her in silence for a moment, then grinned.
"Not bad."
Leticia was beautiful.
Elves were handsome and beautiful by nature, but Leticia stood out even among them.
If Enril was a cold, aloof, peerless beauty, Leticia was a striking beauty with upturned green eyes and an intense, spirited impression.
But when the force left her eyes and she stayed still, her expression grew calm, and a subtly fragile side emerged—and that was captivating.
Like a cat that hisses and bristles but goes rigid with fright the moment you grab it by the scruff of the neck.
"...What are you saying while you stare at someone like that?"
Leticia snapped at him peevishly.
Despite her words, she didn't look displeased.
"What, what exactly is 'not bad'?"
"Your face."
Jiha closed his eyes again.
In this situation, the fact that Leticia was beautiful even among elves mattered.
In old tales, the princess captured by the dragon is always a beauty for a reason, isn't she?
'In this case, am I the dragon?'
A duel fought over a fierce, sharp-tongued beauty—and if word quietly spreads that she's actually soft-hearted beneath the surface, people will be even more engrossed.
He opened his eyes at a presence and found Leticia standing over him, looking down at where he lay.
Jiha spoke curtly.
"For the time being, you'll sleep here and commute to the Purple barracks. If you left anything at your place, send someone to fetch it. Need anything else?"
"...That's all you have to say?"
Leticia knelt on the floor, rested her chin on the sofa, and gazed intently at Jiha's profile as he lay there.
When their eyes met, she turned her head and spoke coyly.
"We're alone, you know."
"..."
As Jiha watched her in silence, Leticia, gauging his reaction, buried her face against his chest.
A gesture like a cat seeking affection.
Her face hidden, Leticia spoke in a voice barely above a whisper.
"...Thank you. For today."
"Just words?"
At Jiha's reply, Leticia turned her head to look up at him.
She had made a big decision.
"...Close your eyes."
He ignored her and kept staring, so Leticia covered his eyes with her palm.
Then a soft sensation touched his lips.
An innocent kiss, nothing more than a light press.
Leticia, who had initiated the kiss, pulled her lips away quickly and spoke fast, as if embarrassed.
"Th-that was just a thank you. Just because I received help, even if you are a human."
"..."
Just yesterday, she'd been gasping and trembling, unable to do anything while he sucked on her chest.
But making the first move embarrassed her, so she threw out excuses.
Smiling, Jiha pressed the back of her head and pulled her in.
"Nn...!"
Ignoring Leticia's startled, slight resistance, he kissed her.
He pressed briefly against her moist elven lips, then soon extended his tongue and traced slowly over them.
As Jiha's tongue teased across her lips, Leticia's tightly sealed mouth parted on its own.
"Ah..."
Jiha's tongue didn't enter right away. Instead, it teased the inside of her upper lip and the outside of her lower lip, licking gently.
At the ticklish sensation on her lips, Leticia's breathing grew rapid.
When her sweet sigh passed into his mouth, Jiha finally pushed his tongue inside.
As if she'd been waiting, Leticia extended her tongue and intertwined it with his.
"Mm... Nn..."
The strength seemed to drain from Leticia's body, and then she wrapped her arms tightly around Jiha's neck, pressing her lips harder against his.
The coy act she'd put on at the start was gone. Now she was begging for more.
"Hoo..."
"Hahh. Haa..."
They tangled their tongues until both were breathless, sucking on each other's lips, sharing saliva.
Smack. Ssip... Ssip...
As Jiha kept sucking on her upper lip, Leticia couldn't endure the ticklish feeling and began licking his lower lip with her own tongue.
"Haa, haa..."
When the long kiss ended, Leticia's face was damp with sweat.
Her cheeks completely flushed, her unfocused eyes blinking, Leticia trembled slightly when Jiha's hand touched her face.
"Nn..."
After caressing her heated cheek, Jiha soon ran his fingers over her moistened lips.
The traces he had just made, Leticia's lips that he'd tasted with his tongue—as his fingers brushed over them, she turned her head as if ticklish.
But it wasn't the face of someone who disliked it.
On the contrary, she was pleased and hoping for more.
When Jiha's hand stopped, she rubbed her cheek against it on her own—like an affectionate cat.
As the long-haired golden elf slowly nuzzled her cheek into his palm and looked up at him with a silent request, Jiha felt himself stirred too.
"...Ah."
But just then, Leticia sprang up as if burned.
She glanced frantically left and right, hastily composed her face, and quickly smoothed down her clothes.
The look of someone gauging the situation outside.
"..."
Jiha thought for a second, then grabbed Leticia's hand.
"Ah!?"
Startled, Leticia shook her hand, trying to shake him off.
But Jiha took advantage of the recoil, adding force and swinging her arm wide.
The motion threw Leticia off balance, making her stumble.
Jiha promptly pulled her toward him.
"W-wait!"
Now straddling Jiha on the sofa, Leticia struggled desperately.
She wasn't trying to hurt him—just thrashing to somehow get free.
The reason Leticia was suddenly acting like a cat doused in water.
Someone was outside.
And that someone was Enril.
"..."
Smack!
Jiha raised his hand and slapped Leticia on the ass.
"Kyah!?"
Leticia screamed but quickly clamped her hand over her mouth.
Afraid Enril outside might hear.
Jiha raised his hand again and smacked her ass once more.
Slap!!
"Ah..."
Flop.
Leticia went completely rigid.
Jiha spoke irritably.
"Do you want to piss me off?"
"N-no, no. It's just... Outside..."
"Don't worry about it."
"N-no..."
"I said don't worry about it. I'll handle it."
When Jiha cut her off flatly, Leticia grew frightened and could only mumble.
She absolutely didn't want Enril to see her straddling Jiha.
But defying Jiha and making him angry—that was something she couldn't even imagine.
Unable to do this, unable to do that.
She had to sit trembling on the man's lap.
"..."
Swish. Swish.
Jiha rubbed the spot he'd just smacked, drawing circles on Leticia's ass.
Discipline when she misbehaved, affection when she obeyed.
It was training. Domestication.
Still trembling, Leticia couldn't stop trying to gauge what was happening outside, thoroughly distracted.
Then Jiha grabbed her panties.
"N-no, don't..."
Leticia pleaded, her eyes even welling with tears.
Jiha stopped and spoke.
"Why not?"
"..."
"I want to. You really want me to stop?"
"W-well..."
Jiha let out a pointed sigh.
"Every time I've wanted to do it with you, something's gotten in the way. Want me to really stop?"
"N-no..."
Leticia trailed off.
She felt guilty. After anger, now he was disappointed.
Carrot and stick.
Jiha gripped Leticia's ass firmly with both hands and spoke.
"I already told the elves, didn't I? That you're my woman."
"..."
Enril had been there too.
There was no way Leticia didn't know what that meant.
When she still hesitated, Jiha spoke low.
"Tell me to do it."
"...Y-yeah."
"Say it. Leticia."
Leticia hesitated with a tense expression, then... forced herself to open her mouth.
"P-please be sweet to me."
Well then, he'd better be sweet.