Chapter 180: Creating an Opportunity - 21
Chapter 180: Creating an Opportunity - 21
After he finished, Jiha left the room and headed for the Commons' mess hall.
"Sir! Good to see you."
"Sleep well?"
"Yeah."
Jiha took a seat as the Commons greeted him. The moment he sat down, a tray with his favorite food and a drink appeared without his having to ask. It was something the Commons did on their own.
'No hangover, either...' The hyangyak tea Leticia had given him the night before had worked well.
As Jiha picked up his utensils, someone sat down across from him. It was Lijin.
"What is it?"
"The training with Ms. Asira is going well. The Commons are following her lead."
Asira was a Unique especially skilled in group combat. The one they called the Demon Knight had always dominated battlefields by leading her allies from the very front. Jiha had recognized that talent and put her in charge of training the Commons.
"Is that so?"
Jiha studied Lijin carefully. Even the rough Commons thought of her as a fine young lady and doted on her. Of course, part of it was knowing she was Jiha's woman, but even so, her knack for fitting into the organization was remarkable. Almost too good at navigating social situations. So why would someone like that feel the need to report in person like this?
"I feel like you're leaving something out."
"...Yesterday, I helped Ms. Leticia pick out a dress, and I think she's suspicious of my relationship with you, sir. I told her it wasn't like that, but she didn't seem entirely convinced."
Meaning Leticia's visit last night was partly Lijin's doing.
"And there's probably another reason you were waiting for me to show up and boldly sat right across from me?"
"..."
Lijin hesitated. Jiha calmly lifted a spoonful of soup and cut to the heart of it.
"Trying to stir up jealousy from the other women? No, you're not the type. So was it a smokescreen? Something you set up ahead of time so that later, when people notice things between us, you can point back to this? So Leticia and the others will think we're strictly professional?"
"..."
Do something upfront and then call it a misunderstanding—it lowers suspicion later. Jiha saw through it instantly, and Lijin's face went blank, as if she'd been bewitched by a fox.
"...I thought it would be for the best."
"Stop. I get that you're clever, but theory and reality are different."
Even Leticia, who never imagined Jiha had other women, had eventually figured it out. A woman is sensitive to the scent of another female lingering around her man. Not that Jiha was bothering to hide it.
"Or was it this? You wanted to write off what happened between us as a one-night fling and agree to keep things strictly professional?"
"That's..."
The color drained from Lijin's cheeks.
Jiha rested his chin on his hand and sighed. "I get that you're anxious, but I don't think you're useless. Don't walk on eggshells around me."
"..."
The women Jiha had taken—Enril, Yura, Leticia, and Asira—were all Uniques. Every one of them was exceptionally beautiful and exceptionally powerful. And on top of that, they held significant social influence. They were the kind of assets you needed to dominate a city like Waris and aim even higher. The gap between them and Lijin—a Normal with no Mana and a half-elf with no one to rely on—was enormous. So Lijin was comparing herself to Jiha's other women and deliberately putting herself down because of it.
"You don't build a wall using only large stones. For what I'm planning, I obviously need you, too. That's why I'm bringing you along. Or does it look like I'm just spouting pretty words I don't mean?"
"...No. No, it doesn't."
Lijin was struggling to hold back the lump in her throat. She'd grown up without her parents' care and didn't form attachments easily. And when she did, she got anxious. Even now, Jiha could see her reading the room, afraid he might abandon her. He'd seen right through it and set her straight.
"Then it's settled. Going forward, I'll be giving you all sorts of jobs to grease the wheels. So go get some food and eat."
"No, I'll just get up and—"
"You think I'd let you leave without feeding you after you came all this way? Eat."
Jiha shut it down decisively. "And from now on, you don't need to ask me for permission before you talk to the women in the barracks. If there's a problem, handle it first and report it afterward."
"Excuse me?"
Lijin looked surprised, as if she hadn't expected this. She'd thought she was about to be scolded, and instead he was giving her more authority. But Jiha had given it thought. When it came to preventing conflicts between the women or any other noise, sharp-eyed Lijin was useful. She might have gotten too cocky, maybe started thinking she was Jiha's most trusted or his number one woman—so Jiha had watched her for a while. But seeing that she knew to mind her place, she was more than fit for the job.
Jiha summed it up. "So long as you know how to conduct yourself. Do well. And when it's just the two of us, you can speak honestly. I'm not going to throw you away over that."
"...Okay."
"Then let's eat."
Jiha closed the subject and focused on his meal. After a moment of hesitation, Lijin finally picked up her utensils. He could feel the Commons watching the two of them as they ate in silence. They wondered what words passed between them, and when Lijin had bowed her head, anxious sighs rippled through the room. Those sighs turned to relief when she sat back down—at least, until Jiha glanced around, and then everyone refocused on their trays with sudden intensity.
Having warded off the stares, Jiha looked at Lijin for a moment as she ate quietly. 'She really does like me...' Lijin followed him out of affection. But Jiha didn't press on that point, and Lijin barely showed it. The self-discipline it took for her to suppress her own feelings and manage the other women without incident was almost superhuman.
"Work going all right?"
"Pardon?"
"Just making small talk."
Jiha said it calmly. "If something's tough or you hit a wall, tell me."
"...Thank you."
Lijin bowed her head and couldn't move. Those few words from Jiha seemed to strike her chest, and she was visibly fighting back a swell of emotion. Jiha silently glanced around. The Commons who had been watching, utterly fascinated, suddenly began eating much faster.
'All right, now then...' First, set aside everything else—including Lijin. Now, it was the showdown with Lungtao. The stage was already set, but even so, his blood was heating up. The time had come to settle this, man to man.
***
Narsha's bedchamber. Sprawled on a bed big enough for a dozen people, Narsha scowled. Her small, voluptuous body was covered only by a wispy pink negligee. It was a provocative outfit that revealed the deep line of her cleavage and her thighs—not something to be seen in front of a strange man—but Narsha didn't care in the slightest. Would a person worry about the gaze of a beast? If it annoyed her, she could just gouge out its eyes and cut its throat.
"What in the world are you talking about?"
"It's the truth, ma'am."
The rat-headed beastman, Getereu, lay prostrate on the floor, his forehead pressed to the ground as he made his report. Face-to-face encounters annoyed her, so Narsha had ordered him to keep his head down.
"This had better not be nonsense. Are you telling me Lungtao wagered my Helper's position on his fight without my consent?"
"You can verify it for yourself."
"..."
She'd never heard anything about this. And yet repulsive as this rat-faced creature was, he didn't seem to be lying. Even a rat knew that getting swatted hurt. The truth was written plainly on Getereu's head, which Narsha had struck several times, leaving scars and scabs.
"This is insane. What gives him the right to wager that? Is he out of his mind? I'm a Unique. I'm a Dirga who made your weapons. Does he think I look like a pushover?"
"...I couldn't agree more."
Getereu's face was tense, never knowing when a whip might fly at him. Narsha glared at him with open disgust. Even if this was a way to kill boredom, just having a revolting beastman like this in her bedchamber grated on her nerves.
"Get out of my sight right now. If there's new information, send someone else to report."
"...Understood."
Keeping his head pressed to the floor, Getereu dragged himself backward on his knees and left. It had to be an agonizing posture, but Narsha had ordered him to do it because she absolutely refused to see his face. She was sure he was cursing her in his head, but Narsha didn't care. What could a wretch like him possibly do to her?
"So Lungtao did that..."
Alone now, Narsha's brow furrowed. That fight in the Summoning War against the Common—there was no way Lungtao could lose. He was an immensely powerful tiger beastman to begin with, and she had outfitted him with weapons and armor she'd made. Even if that Common had a knack for running amok, Lungtao would win.
"..."
Narsha rubbed her arm, annoyed. Yes, she'd let her guard down and taken a hit from that Common, but Lungtao would still win. Hadn't he always won? Hadn't he always been the wall that protected her...
"Hmph."
Narsha scoffed and shook her head. What irritated her was that Lungtao had been avoiding her so completely.
"I've been waiting for him, and instead of apologizing, he pulls this ridiculous stunt? What gives him the right to wager my Helper's position?" How should she even punish this? Narsha ground her teeth in displeasure, her mind consumed entirely by what penalty to exact. Not once did she doubt Lungtao's victory.
***
Having withdrawn from Narsha's presence, Getereu spat out a curse. "This is really impossible." He'd been exposed by Lungtao and was in danger of being driven out by the Escort Guards, but he'd managed to attach himself to Narsha's side. It was only possible because of the rift that had formed between the two of them. Lungtao was surely aware of it, but was staying silent for now to avoid further friction with Narsha. Even so, Getereu's position was that of dust that could be swept away at any moment. Narsha probably didn't even know his name.
The only reason Getereu had managed to stay by Narsha was because he'd successfully driven a deeper wedge between her and Lungtao. Reporting the rumor—that Lungtao had wagered Narsha's Helper position in the Summoning War against Jiha—as soon as he'd heard it was part of that same scheme. He wasn't sure it was true. It was just a rumor circulating among the Escort Guards, but the truth of it didn't matter to Getereu. All he needed was for Narsha to hate Lungtao a little more.
"But if he loses, I'm in trouble..." Either way, this game was short-term and would end soon. Every single one of his actions was predicated on Jiha defeating Lungtao. If Jiha lost, it was all over. With the Chief of the Commons crushed, Lungtao would regain the hearts of the Escort Guards, and even Narsha would have no choice but to patch things up and move on. And Getereu, already cast out by Lungtao, would have to run for his life.
"Lungtao has to die for me to rise..." If the absolute ruler known as Lungtao disappeared, the Escort Guards would be thrown into confusion. In that chaos, he would seize Narsha and dominate the Guards. Getereu licked his lips with sinister pleasure, his eyes brimming with lust. "Yes... the day I show that damned bitch what a real man is like will come soon..." Getereu was confident that if he could just find that aphrodisiac, Narsha would fall just as easily.
"He's a human I can't stand, but he has to win. So maybe I should lend a hand..." If Lungtao truly fought with all his heart, no one would be able to beat him. So Getereu couldn't just sit back and watch. Lungtao didn't just need to lose—he needed to die.
As these thoughts crossed his mind, the day finally arrived. The fight where Jiha and Lungtao would stake everything. A battle between men.