Chapter 222 Melting Night -5
Chapter 222 Melting Night -5
Jiha's provocation.
The eagle beastman, standing with his arms crossed, turned to Alex without a word.
A silent glance asking his master's will, but Alex couldn't decide quickly.
Alex looked down at Dagal's corpse and slowly shook his head.
"Oh dear, this is problematic. To think you would kill someone."
"Ah, this guy was the one who called in the Shades, wasn't he?"
"......."
"No, to think your subordinate was colluding with the Shades. This is quite astonishing. Would it be appropriate to conduct a full-scale investigation of this mansion?"
Jiha smiled coldly.
"Or should I keep rooting out the ringleader? Personally, I'd prefer that."
Jiha was offering to wrap up the current situation if Alex cooperated.
A sharp smile crossed Alex's face.
"Do you think you can walk out of here alive? This mansion is filled with my people."
"It'll be filled with corpses. You'll be the first to die."
"......."
Alex's face hardened at those words.
He hesitated, his gaze darting between Dagal's corpse, the eagle beastman standing guard beside him, and Jiha.
Given how Dagal died, could the eagle beastman really handle Jiha? If things went wrong, it would turn into a one-on-one fight with Alex himself.
He couldn't come to a quick decision.
'There must be troops nearby. But if it turns into a melee, I can't guarantee my own life.......'
He didn't know Alex's skill level.
But if he carried the title of one of the Five Kings, he had to be strong.
Considering Mana and Special Abilities alone, he'd likely be far above Kamain or Lungtao.
But his mental fortitude was weak.
He seemed composed at first glance, but he had wavered instantly when Jiha insulted Gashiel.
What's more, seeing his trusted confidant die miserably in an instant without even putting up a proper fight had shaken him internally.
'He's the classic young master from a prestigious family. Skilled and composed, but the moment his plans go awry, he collapses into confusion and can't make a decision. He's never fought a battle drenched in blood and choking on dust.'
He wouldn't try to cross a dangerous bridge without a good reason.
Jiha had already finished taking Alex's measure.
The eagle beastman shook his head.
"Trust me and leave it to me."
"Wait a moment, please."
"Do you not trust me?"
The eagle beastman couldn't hide his displeasure.
Jiha quietly observed the eagle beastman.
He was a big-boned fellow.
"What's your name?"
"You're about to die, so you don't need to know my name."
The words were arrogant, but his glower was fierce.
It was the face of someone who acknowledged Jiha as a strong opponent yet didn't bother hiding his competitive spirit, thinking he was no less strong himself.
A warrior.
"You're a guy too good to be serving under a young master like this."
"......."
The eagle beastman fell silent with an ambiguous expression.
Alex frowned at the exchanged conversation before lightly kicking the floor.
"I understand. An abrupt proposal like this would require time to think...... I'll give you some time to consider it."
"Yeah?"
He rationalized so smoothly.
Instead of admitting he was secretly scared and wanted to pull out, he spun his words to sound advantageous.
That was young-master behavior.
'Of course, Alex isn't someone to take lightly. He's considerably skilled and cautious in politics. His combat abilities are likely considerable too. The only thing is, the moment Gashiel was brought up, his mental state shattered.......'
He would be a formidable foe, but Jiha had already pinpointed his weakness.
In the future, he would keep a close watch on Alex's actions and exploit this weakness when the time was right.
"Well, I get it. I get it, but...... I just can't quite believe you're sincere. You might say this and change your mind the very next moment, right?"
"Are you saying you want a guarantee?"
Alex frowned.
"No, it's nothing major...... Let me take Barjet."
"......."
"That's your plan, isn't it? It doesn't matter who takes her once you use Burgraman, right?"
Alex shook his head.
"As for that, Heinrich has been working on it for a long time. He reported that it's finally about to bear fruit. If you butt in, you'll ruin the work."
"Then I just won't ruin it. Whoever does it makes no difference to you, right?"
"......Do as you please."
Alex spat out, then added a condition.
"However, if you ruin the work, I will consider all these proposals null and void."
"Suit yourself."
Jiha inwardly sneered at Alex.
'This guy has really never held a woman's hand.......'
The exchange of questions and answers before Dagal was killed. If Alex had understood that Jiha answered as a male, he would have known Jiha would absolutely never join Ouroboros.
What man would accept being told to hand over his woman?
'That bastard isn't a male.'
But Alex was thinking Jiha would accept it.
Since Ouroboros was a massive and powerful organization, he assumed Jiha would accept if he wanted to live.
He was still too green to understand male-female relationships.
'And above all, does he think Heinrich will just let this slide?'
Even if someone is a pawn to be used and discarded, telling them so openly breeds resentment.
While Heinrich had his own ulterior motives, one thing was certain: he was aiming for Barjet.
Alex's current permission was practically the same as throwing Heinrich to the wolves.
It was a decision he made thoughtlessly, but from Heinrich's perspective, he would feel a sense of betrayal.
A project he had painstakingly worked on for a long time suddenly gets another guy intruding. A woman he was planning to devour gets stolen right before his eyes by another male. Wouldn't that drive him mad?
With this one move, Jiha had sowed discord between Alex and Heinrich.
"......."
The eagle beastman also looked displeased with Alex's decision, but he maintained his silence.
"What are you doing? Go back now. I won't wait long, so decide quickly."
"Fine, I'll decide after I deal with Barjet."
Having said that, Jiha turned to leave.
"Wrap Dagal's body up nicely and send it over. I'll clearly state that he was the main culprit behind this incident."
"......."
Gazes shot into his back, but Jiha ignored them and moved his feet.
When he stepped out into the hallway, a familiar face was waiting.
It was Heinrich.
"It seems your talk concluded well."
As Heinrich approached with a smiling face and extended his hand, Jiha stopped walking and silently watched him.
"We'll be eating from the same pot now, so I look forward to working with you."
"Yeah?"
Heinrich assumed that Jiha had walked out alive because he had joined Ouroboros.
He likely couldn't even imagine that Alex had been pressured into simply wrapping up the situation.
"Ah, that reminds me. He said I could have Barjet first."
"What do you mean......."
For the first time, a crack appeared in Heinrich's smiling face.
The man who had hidden his true feelings even after getting his nose broken by Jiha was now showing a crack in his composure.
"Go ask Alex."
"......Ha ha."
Heinrich quickly laughed, trying to hide his true emotions, but Jiha had already seen them.
'But...... that's strange. Is there something special about Barjet? Of course, she's a beauty, but why is a guy who acts so well at hiding his true feelings this fixated on her?'
Heinrich's acting skills were too good to conclude it was simply because he had his eye on a woman.
"Then I suppose I must gather my strength so as not to lose either."
"I wonder how that woman will react when she finds out? When she learns the guy who was stuck right by her side pretending to be polite and pretending he had no ulterior motives was actually a son of a bitch."
"......."
"Thought he was a gay bastard, but turns out he was just a regular bastard."
At Jiha's scathing observation, Heinrich tried to brush it off with laughter.
"We're both in the same boat, what......."
"No, you and I are different."
Jiha drew a firm line.
"I don't kiss up to women. I don't spout nonsense I don't mean to try and ingratiate myself. I don't grovel with thoughts like, 'how can I get a chance to fuck her?'"
"......It's all for the organization."
"Ridiculous. Don't make excuses. Your method is just shit."
Jiha spoke firmly.
"You simply have no talent for melting a woman's heart. Your tongue and hands are for holding a woman and melting her, not for flattering her and rubbing your palms together."
"......."
"You might be a male, but you're not a man, you dumbass."
Jiha declared and walked past him.
"......Let's see how good you are."
"......."
At the low mutter that came from behind, Jiha laughed.
Heinrich's mask had momentarily given way and slipped off.
The resentment of being disregarded by the organization and his wounded pride as a male coalesced, finally revealing his true colors.
"Better than you."
Jiha sneered and moved his feet.
As he emerged into the garden, familiar faces were rushing over.
A unit of 200 people led by Enril, with the Commons and escort guards grouped together.
Since it was obvious Alex would set a trap, Jiha had them on standby to come and support if necessary.
Originally, the plan was for Mayan to call them using the distinctive howl of a beastman, but things got somewhat tangled when Mayan was attacked.
'Alex does have the ability to set the board.'
The plan to have the Shades intrude was decent in itself, but it went off track because they failed to properly account for Jiha's martial power.
He had to remain cautious and handle him carefully in the future.
Seeing Jiha walk out leisurely, the reinforcements halted and assessed the situation.
As Jiha approached, he spoke.
"You're a bit late."
"Are you unharmed?"
Uben asked urgently.
Jiha nodded and spoke.
"Enril, go."
"......."
Mayan was injured, so he sent Enril to see her for treatment.
Jiha was also internally curious about Mayan's condition, but it wasn't something to discuss in front of everyone.
Sensing Jiha's unspoken thoughts, Uben spoke first.
"We've moved Mayan Hardrock to the barracks. She's received emergency treatment for now, but we don't know the prognosis yet."
"Enril, it's okay to go ahead."
"......No, even if I go, there's nothing I can do."
Enril slowly shook her head.
"Your safe return comes first."
"......."
As Enril forcibly suppressed her emotions, Jiha said no more.
Uben cautiously spoke.
"What about Alex?"
"I'll talk about that later, but first......."
Jiha paused in thought, looking around at his subordinates.
"There was an attack by the Shades, but we took them all down. You guys go and drink your fill, without any reckless bravado."
"Pardon?"
"Make sure the citizens of Waris know about it."
Most of them didn't understand, but Uben caught on.
"Understood. I'll take care of it."
Jiha and Pairan had dealt with it, but what mattered was that the Investigative Committee had protected the city's safety.
The Shades, who had suddenly appeared in broad daylight to disrupt the Summoning War, were perceived by ordinary citizens as objects of terror, as terrorists.
Jiha and his subordinates were the ones protecting their lives and property from those terrorists.
Jiha intended to set this image in stone.
As Uben issued orders to a few others, Jiha stepped forward.
"Enril, let's go."
"......."
Enril slowly nodded and followed at his side.
Enril likely had a special place in her heart for Mayan as well, but she had coolly judged the situation and prioritized Jiha.
Gazing at the profile of the peerless beauty forcefully suppressing her emotions, Jiha gently took her hand.
They were far enough from the subordinates that their words wouldn't be overheard.
"Sirel's there, so she'll be fine."
"Yeah......."
Enril maintained her usual haughty expression, but the hand holding Jiha's was trembling faintly.
Holding her hand and walking at the front, Jiha headed toward the barracks without being shaken in the slightest.
Because in front of an anxious woman, a man has to act with confidence.