Chapter 197: The Swordsman and the Witch
Chapter 197: The Swordsman and the Witch
Early evening.
Waris City Hall.
As Jiha headed straight for the mayor's office, Yura asked him a question.
"Why would Purple's Uniques go to the mayor's office?"
"To take issue with the existence of the Fact-finding Committee. It's an extrajudicial body that Dudinel approved on his own authority. They want to pressure him into disbanding it."
At that political analysis, Yura thought for a moment before speaking.
"Enril once said Purple might try this. She said if they come at us like this even with Leticia here, it would mean they're ignoring Leticia completely."
"That makes sense..."
In the end, Purple had left Leticia stranded in Waris while scheming something else entirely.
'Was it Purple who lured Shade away?'
The Uniques he'd targeted with the aphrodisiac were Asira, then Narsha.
Both were Blue Seal Uniques.
It wasn't hard to conclude this was a Purple plot.
'I'll know once I engage them...'
Jiha tucked the thought away and continued to the mayor's office.
When he entered, Dudinel was absent.
Instead, familiar faces were there.
A dark elf and an elf—Enril and Leticia.
Standing opposite them were a man and a woman.
The man was a human with a clean-cut face, and the woman wore a wide-brimmed triangular hat and held a staff.
Her hat hid her face, revealing only from her nose down, but he could tell at a glance she was a beauty.
A bewitching air hung about her, and the deep neckline of her clothing revealed a voluptuous cleavage.
The plunging neckline and the long skirt's deep slit left her legs clearly exposed. The design itself was understated, but her figure was remarkable.
Her breasts, swelling provocatively forward, looked large enough to fill both hands, and the legs glimpsed through the skirt were smooth as if coated in honey.
'Are those bigger than Yura's?'
As Jiha sized her up, Enril, Leticia, and the man turned to face him.
The man stepped forward and extended his hand.
"This must be Jiha, chairman of the Fact-finding Committee. A pleasure to meet you. I am—"
"Skip the introductions. Explain."
When Jiha cut him off, the man looked slightly flustered as he withdrew his hand.
But he was still smiling.
'A mask, then.'
Jiha's rudeness and dismissiveness were usually meant to draw out and gauge the other party's reaction. Sometimes he used it to anger them so they couldn't easily read his own intentions.
But this one just kept smiling.
Either he was a guileless simpleton, or someone who went around with a smiling mask plastered on his face.
"We've only just met, and you're already this rude. Is this what all of Blue Seal is like these days?"
The woman's tone carried a veiled reproach.
In that instant, Enril's and Leticia's faces stiffened.
Knowing Jiha's fearsome side, they had involuntarily tensed, not knowing what would happen next.
But Jiha answered her readily.
"Would it be okay to be rude if we already knew each other?"
"...Well, if we were close, some things could be overlooked."
"Then think of it as an advance payment. We're bound to get friendly from now on anyway, so let's just be casual in advance."
Jiha said as he pleased and sat down.
Yura, who had been quietly watching the exchange, promptly poured water and placed it before him.
Then she used a towel to wipe the raindrops that had splashed onto his hair and cheeks on the way there.
"..."
While Yura carefully dried him off, Jiha stared openly at the two strangers.
The woman looked quite surprised, but the man was only watching Jiha's cup.
'Not a fool. Definitely a mask.'
He was trying to grasp the significance of Yura, a Unique, personally attending to Jiha.
Someone who schemed like that couldn't be a fool, which meant he was the type who concealed his true thoughts.
Enril spoke up.
"As I've been saying, the Fact-finding Committee is already active. This sudden demand that we halt it is difficult to accept. Leticia, the Purple Unique residing in Waris at the time, also agreed, so trying to overturn that now makes no sense."
She was filling Jiha in on the earlier discussion.
"The circumstances have changed. Above all, there are far too many Blue Seal Uniques on the committee. Doesn't this effectively mean Blue Seal intends to monopolize the investigation, or perhaps manipulate it?"
The purple-haired woman, Purple's Unique Barjet Dark, spoke softly but firmly.
Enril shot back coldly.
"That's not the sort of thing one can say without evidence. How do you intend to take responsibility for it?"
"Suspicion."
The man spoke in a clear, fresh voice.
"Of course, I don't mean Blue Seal intends anything underhanded. But the fact remains that there's room to see it that way. Isn't it best to avoid actions that invite mutual suspicion? Above all, the situation of having four Blue Seal Uniques in Waris is certainly sufficient to raise doubts about whether an all-out war is being planned."
"..."
At his crafty wording, Enril furrowed her brow.
Leticia, standing beside her, snapped back irritably.
"You show up out of nowhere and spout off, so why not go through the proper procedures? Your demand to just disband the Fact-finding Committee is an insult to me, and by extension, an insult to all elves."
"I don't see much reason to respect that."
Barjet let out a short, stifled laugh.
"...What did you say?"
Leticia's eyebrows shot up as she shifted her weight onto the balls of her feet. A stance ready to lunge at any moment, about to escalate straight into a violent clash.
Barjet sneered.
"But isn't it true? A Unique is someone who bears the fate of their species, someone who should possess commensurate pride and responsibility. Yet while I can't speak for your combat ability, rumors are rampant that you can't even properly control your own kind, the elves. I've also heard you previously signed a humiliating agreement."
"..."
Struck in a sore spot, Leticia's face flushed bright red.
Enril raised an arm to block Leticia and stared coldly at Barjet.
"Dredging up the past won't lead to a constructive discussion. We cannot accept your demands."
"Then we have no choice but to act on our own..."
"Why not just join?"
Jiha, who had been watching, cut in curtly.
When the eyes of the arguing parties focused on him, Jiha settled back comfortably into the sofa and crossed his legs.
"Isn't this about you worrying that Purple's stake in the Fact-finding Committee is too small, and that's why you want it disbanded? Just join it yourselves. Problem solved, right?"
"...That's an unacceptable demand."
"Why's that, you big-titted bitch."
"..."
Barjet's complexion changed instantly.
'The woman's susceptible to provocation.'
Barjet fidgeted with her fingers around her staff, her face showing she didn't know what to do.
As a Unique, she had likely never faced such a direct insult, and even if she had, this was probably the first time she couldn't immediately punish it.
"Wh- what."
As Barjet floundered in confusion, the man stepped in and spoke calmly.
"I believe that vile comment alone already explains why we cannot accept."
"Yes, that's right."
With the man stepping forward, Barjet, standing behind him, quickly agreed.
Jiha, watching, let out a short laugh.
"What's this now? You're putting on quite the bizarre show. Is she a Unique, or a parrot?"
The man had three purple stars on his shoulder insignia: Rare Grade.
Yet the initiative in the conversation lay not with Barjet the Unique, but with the man.
The man explained with a smiling face.
"My name is Heinrich Romergo, a human male, Rare Grade. But does it really matter who speaks in such a setting? Putting aside grade and faction, we must open our hearts sincerely and talk, for only then can we contribute to the peace of Warsland."
"Yeah, that's bullshit."
Jiha turned to Yura standing behind him and instructed.
"Hey, listen carefully. That right there is what they call bullshit. I thought people spouting that crap sober had gone extinct these days, but I guess some still exist."
"I've encountered many who react that way. But I am sincere. I sincerely believe that all lifeforms, regardless of grade, species, or gender, must speak to one another at an equal eye level. I believe we must all do so for Warsland to achieve true peace."
When Heinrich spoke with emphasis, Enril and Leticia wore baffled expressions.
Even Yura tilted her head before carefully asking Jiha.
"Um, Jiha. What in the world is he even talking about?"
"Don't try to understand bullshit. Just let it pass."
Barjet flared up.
"...This has gone far enough. How can someone like you be the head of a Fact-finding Committee that pooled the strength of both factions? Your words and actions alone make it abundantly clear the committee has no value to exist."
"Wow, your tits are fucking huge. They jiggle every time you talk."
"......"
Barjet's mouth fell open and her arms trembled violently.
No matter how sound the argument, when Jiha responded like that, most people couldn't endure it.
Barjet bit her lip hard and aimed her staff at Jiha, but Heinrich took hold of it and lowered it.
"Barjet, the long-cherished wishes of the witches rest on your shoulders. You must not act rashly."
"...R-right?"
Barjet sighed, glared once at Jiha, then shut her mouth.
An attitude declaring she wouldn't even engage with him. Jiha gave his quick assessment.
"They're pretty funny things."
The Rare Grade man stepped forward to do all the talking, while Barjet the Unique stood quietly behind watching.
And from the back-and-forth exchange, they were treating each other with mutual respect and equality.
In fact, it looked more like Barjet had handed the initiative over to Heinrich.
'Are they lovers?'
But there wasn't the intimacy to suggest that.
Men and women in a physical relationship inevitably have a different air about them.
Even if Heinrich was wearing a mask, Barjet was the type whose inner thoughts were easy to read, which meant that wasn't it.
Friends, then?
That might be possible on Earth, but in the female-superior, male-inferior world of Warsland, combined with the fact Barjet was a Unique, it was a completely unconventional relationship.
Jiha asked Heinrich.
"Practicing that equality thing or whatever starting with your own surroundings, I take it?"
"Of course. And this Equality Ideology is something you, a Common, should rightfully support. You would benefit from it the most, after all."
"Oh yeah? Truth is, my hobbies are murder, plunder, and arson. Guess I'd better support whatever religion freely permits all that. Since I'd benefit the most."
At Jiha's sarcasm, Heinrich responded with a smile.
"That's a rather extreme analogy."
"...Let's go, Heinrich. Talking to a bastard like that is a waste of time."
With an irritated expression, Barjet urged him and then addressed Leticia.
"Why don't you quit wasting time and look after your own kind? Keep being stubborn and soon there'll be no place left for elves in Purple."
"Then we'll leave this first meeting here, and continue our discussion another time."
Heinrich said his farewell and departed with Barjet.
Leticia clenched her fists in indignation, while Enril turned to Jiha.
"What did you think?"
Enril had come a long way as well.
She understood that Jiha threw out harsh words to gauge the other side, and she wanted to know how he evaluated those two.
"The woman's stupid, and the man's a son of a bitch."
"...Barjet Dark. I've seen her before. She wasn't like that back then. Why was she so sarcastic? She's completely changed since I last saw her."
Leticia grumbled, her pride wounded.
Jiha had a hunch and wanted to confirm it.
"How was she back then?"
"She wore her hat pulled way down so you couldn't really see her face, and her voice was quiet. She clutched her staff with both hands constantly and looked nervous all the time, but she seemed like a nice kid."
"And her figure?"
"What, another woman... Ow! Why'd you poke me, dark elf!"
Leticia snapped in annoyance.
Jiha was asking because he needed information, but Leticia had leaped to the wrong conclusion, so Enril had poked her to warn her off.
Rubbing her side, Leticia grumbled.
"I don't really know about her looks. I think she wore more modest clothes back then."
"And that man wasn't around back then?"
"No, it's the first time I've seen him too."
A rough picture was forming.
Jiha changed the subject.
"Seeing that Asira's not here, is she talking with Pairan?"
"She left, saying she wanted to talk one-on-one. I don't know where they are."
Jiha gave an immediate order.
"Find her, now. Find where the two of them are and what they're doing, scout the situation, and report directly back to me."
"What will you do?"
When Yura asked carefully, Jiha answered plainly.
"Leave Barjet alone for now. If we pull Pairan into the committee, Barjet will end up being reined in on her own."
"...Will that work? Pairan abandoned Blue Seal and went over to Purple. And the atmosphere between her and Asira didn't exactly look friendly, either."
"The past doesn't matter."
Jiha spoke firmly.
"I'll make her accept it now."
Two had come, so he would start by capturing one.
Once he had one, gaining the other would become easier.