Chapter 172: Creating an Opportunity - 13
Chapter 172: Creating an Opportunity - 13
At the inn.
The mouse beastman Getereu was grinding his teeth.
"Dammit, goddammit! This is insane!!"
The other escort guards who had watched him rage for a solid twenty minutes were frowning.
But Getereu was a centurion under Lungtao, a senior officer among the escort guards who commanded a hundred men.
He was one of the sharper minds among the guards, which made him an advisor.
"A Unique stepping in! This is a violation!"
Getereu clenched his jaw hard enough to make a sound.
Lungtao had told him to endure these constant clashes with the Commons lately, but Getereu simply could not.
That stupid tiger beastman bastard... Does he actually think he's the king of all beastmen?
Getereu bowed his head to Lungtao, but that didn't mean he was loyal.
He simply submitted to Lungtao's power.
Warsland was survival of the fittest; following a stronger being was only natural.
Until now, Getereu hadn't had any major complaints about Lungtao.
He had some personal dislikes, but he'd still considered Lungtao a being fit to stand over him.
Now, things were different.
"Why the hell are we supposed to just take it..."
Getereu became an escort guard for the obvious reason: to acquire good weapons and become stronger.
To become stronger, seize more, and crush others underfoot.
In Warsland, men could reach Rare Grade at best, and only the lower ranks of it.
Worse, mouse beastmen were a weak species among beastmen, so Getereu became an escort guard to gain power.
His martial ability was nothing special, but his tongue and his brain were decent, which earned him Lungtao's recognition.
"Lungtao, Lungtao..."
As Getereu paced and kept grinding his teeth, the other guards grimaced.
They didn't appreciate him saying Lungtao's name so casually.
"What's Lungtao doing? Did you report that one hundred fifty of our guards got taken down by a Unique?"
"He just says not to cause a commotion."
"...That crazy bastard!"
Getereu grabbed the nearest chair and flung it.
The innkeeper rushed out at the sound of smashing furniture, but one look at Getereu's murderous glare sent him scurrying back inside.
"I can't let us be made fools of and just move on. I absolutely can't..."
Getereu ground his teeth, lost in thought.
Following Lungtao's orders, the escort guards were all holding back, trying not to start an all-out war with the Commons.
Even Bran and his faction were.
But Getereu had no desire to hold back.
Once he learned that Jiha, who had beaten him to a pulp in front of everyone, was a Common, swallowing his rage became impossible.
He wanted to use these clashes with the Commons to kill that man on the sly.
He also harbored the ambition to resolve this mess brilliantly while everyone else was flailing, thereby distinguishing himself within the escort guard ranks.
Though Lungtao acknowledged him as an advisor, Getereu was privately frustrated.
He knew everyone mocked him behind his back as a mouse who only used his head.
Those morons, wouldn't be able to do a thing without me...
So, to prove he could fight, he had personally negotiated with Narsha and secured the authority to mobilize the escort guards.
But even with that permission, and after pouring in three times the forces, he had been crushed ignominiously.
A Unique's appearance was something he could never have predicted, and it was a flagrant violation of the rules.
"A diplomatic solution is impossible too..."
If he demanded an explanation for why a Unique smashed his guards, the Commons would just retort that they were under the Unique's administrative authority.
Jiha had set up that justification in advance.
"There has to be something. Something..."
Narsha herself had no interest in whether the number of her guards dwindled or not.
But the moment she found out, she would not forgive Getereu.
Quitting the escort guard wouldn't be the end of it; he could easily end up dead.
"Hey, any other news? I said, is there anything!"
Anxiety burning in his chest, Getereu badgered the other guards.
The guards who were his subordinates in the organizational hierarchy remained silent.
"Goddammit..."
Just then, a guard who had been out returned to report.
"We've located the Bugra."
"For real?"
Getereu's face lit up.
Unique or not, feed her the aphrodisiac and her body would be helpless. Getereu's eyes blazed with ambition.
Dirga, Unique, it doesn't matter. Just drug her and take her, and it's done. By Dirga culture, she'd have no choice but to acknowledge me as her Helper, and this whole organization becomes mine. A complete reversal of fortune with this one move!
Getereu shouted.
"Where is it? We're going right now."
The guards who had been watching Getereu slowly exchanged glances.
Taigirl's residence.
Having obtained word that the escort guards had taken the bait, Jiha had come early and was lying in wait.
He wore a borrowed hood from Leticia and a mask on his face.
"Hurry up and make that Mana drug that alters your voice."
"Something like that isn't difficult, but..."
Taigirl had it ready within an hour.
This, in fact, was a display of considerable skill.
Mana drugs were delicate work and took a great deal of time.
This was why pharmacists earned high incomes, yet Mana drugs never became commonplace.
Taigirl was truly the best pharmacist in Warsland.
"The effect lasts one hour; I can't guarantee anything longer. There shouldn't be side effects."
"If there are, I'll make sure you end up with three balls."
"Hmm? Wouldn't that just improve my virility?"
When Taigirl lit up, Jiha tsked.
"What's the point of great virility when you never get to use it."
"I can milk myself even more enjoyably during wet dreams."
"..."
Jiha had met plenty of lunatics, but this guy was the real deal.
Taigirl asked Jiha,
"So, as you said, I handed over a fake Bugra. What are you planning to do?"
"Thinking about it."
Taigirl, who usually only spewed nonsense, had an undercurrent of anxiety on his face.
"Will you really protect me? If you protect me, I'll make you a virility potion for free. So potent you won't go soft for a week!"
"Then I'd have to chop it off. It would necrotize."
"Ah, the side effect was that your hair falls out instead."
"Then I'll just chop your head off."
Taigirl laughed weakly.
"My life's already forfeit. What's there to be afraid of?"
"..."
Taigirl had completed Bugra initially out of curiosity, and later because he couldn't withstand the coercion.
Seeing that he didn't ask for help even when faced with Uniques like Leticia and Yura showed just how terrifying his backer truly was.
"Ah, but having my dick chopped off is still scary. I'd rather lose my head..."
Even while terrified, Taigirl kept spouting this kind of nonsense.
"I'll handle it myself, so you just sit there and play along. That'll do."
"Can I really trust you?"
Just then, footsteps could be heard.
Jiha, who was about to swallow the voice-altering drug, realized two things: there was only one set of footsteps, and it was somehow familiar.
"Taigirl, it's me. If you don't open up, I'm breaking it down."
"...Open it."
Taigirl opened the door, and Leticia stood there.
Stepping inside, Leticia pushed her hood back and looked at Jiha with suspicion.
His face was completely covered by a mask and he was wearing elven military equipment, so she couldn't recognize him immediately.
"That's Jiha, right?"
"Yeah. Why are you here?"
"...It is you."
Leticia folded her arms and raised her chin.
"Taigirl is a truly garbage individual, but he's still had dealings with the Yormun family. Something might happen, so I should observe."
"You trying to wreck this?"
"I won't, so just tell me what I need to do. I'll follow it."
Leticia was unexpectedly firm.
Beneath the mask, Jiha was inwardly surprised, and Leticia pouted her lips.
"I can do a good job too."
"Fine, good."
An attitude of looking for work to do on her own was worthy of praise.
When Jiha gave his permission, Leticia's face brightened instantly.
Then, realizing that Taigirl was staring blankly at her, she immediately kicked him.
"Uwaaagh?! Wait, I didn't even say anything!"
"Don't stare at me all creepily. You're seriously annoying."
"I wasn't staring right then! This is unjust!"
"...You were going to stare later anyway! Just consider it getting your punishment in advance!"
"I have no rebuttal! Does getting hit a lot in advance mean I can stare at you with even more perverted thoughts?"
"You want me to start with your eyes?"
Ignoring the vitriolic conversation between an elf and a dwarf, Jiha sank into contemplation.
We have the genuine article and a fake. Which one do I hand over...
Truthfully, if all he wanted was Narsha, the matter was simple.
He could just hand the Bugra over to the escort guards, let them farm it diligently, and then harvest the results himself.
But Lungtao bothers me.
The relationship between Narsha and Lungtao was far from ordinary.
At first, Jiha had assumed they were just cooperating because each gained something, but it was different.
Lungtao saying he thought of Narsha like a daughter, and Narsha's wounded expression when she looked at the man who had just slapped her own cheek.
If he tamed Narsha by any means necessary, would Lungtao submit?
The best outcome would be to reap both...
Jiha still hadn't made up his mind because of that.
For now, he had sketched out two broad plans.
Hand over the genuine article, tame Narsha first, and then subjugate Lungtao by force.
Or, hand over the fake, help Narsha, and thereby win Lungtao's favor.
Which one to use?
"Both of you, quiet."
The room fell silent at Jiha's word.
Crack.
The doorknob twisted and the hinges tore free as the door was forced open.
The one who broke the door down and entered was a burly grizzly bear beastman.
"I've come to deliver Lord Lungtao's words. Is there a man named Jiha here?"
"You smash the door and don't even bring a gift?"
Even as he answered, Jiha was assessing the situation.
So you knew, Lungtao.
He knew his subordinate Getereu was looking for the aphrodisiac.
He had anticipated in advance that Getereu meant to use it to attack Narsha, and had decided to clean house at the decisive moment.
He also knew that the one who leaked information to Getereu was Jiha's side.
"I've been read."
Dragging things out would be too pathetic.
Jiha removed the mask and hood, revealing his face.
"I'm Jiha."
"He says he thanks you for helping separate the trash. He also told me to ask you to name a time and place."
Jiha slowly nodded.
"Three days from now. We'll settle it in the Summoning War. Our conditions are the same, but I'll add a few more. If I win, tell him Narsha is on the line. I have no intention of becoming a Helper or anything else, but tell her to produce a Grade 1 Dirga Weapon."
Helper was the Dirga euphemism for a husband, as they had no culture of marriage.
The Dirga put forward Helpers for the purpose of producing offspring, and their code dictated that they would have no other males.
Unlike other species, the Helper did not receive a husband's treatment, but the Dirga herself would forge a Grade 1 weapon especially for him.
A Grade 1 Dirga Weapon was equivalent to a Special Grade among ordinary weapons, the stuff of legends.
"If Narsha raises a fuss and cries about it then, I'll smash everything to pieces anyway, so relay that. If you're putting anything on the line, put everything."
Defeat Lungtao, make the escort guards his subordinates at a stroke, and take control of Narsha to have her produce weapons.
Winning in front of the citizens was a bonus that would win their hearts.
"I'll send an elf with the details, so make your preparations. Relay that."
"Understood."
The bear beastman turned around.
As the messenger vanished, Jiha smiled.
As expected of Lungtao, his organizational management is on point.
Admiration was brief; Jiha internally summarized the situation.
The rumors had already spread through the streets. Lungtao would fight him as the proxy of the elf Guason. The stated goal was to reclaim Leticia, with Jiha painted as a villain who had kidnapped a poor elf, and Lungtao packaged as a righteous champion.
As Jiha's name became slightly more known, the reactions of the citizens varied.
There were those who thought highly of him, but there were also those who resented a Common throwing his weight around.
It didn't matter. The anti-fans would still make for a big audience.
The citizens of Waris would gather like clouds, hoping to witness his defeat.
He would shatter their expectations, claim victory, and in the process, bend their hearts to his will.