Chapter 25: Hierarchy - 7
Chapter 25: Hierarchy - 7
Two days had passed since the Summoning War abruptly entered an armistice.
It was midday at the library.
Seated on a sofa, Jiha was organizing his thoughts.
Yura would arrive in thirty minutes.
'I can't afford another interruption like last time.'
Commons hardly ever set foot in this library.
Most of them were like Uben—a species that detested the smell of books—or just never read anything at all.
But that didn't mean he was truly alone.
The library, a facility within the Common barracks, had a manager stationed here.
Jiha rose from his seat and walked toward the staff counter.
A woman sat behind the counter, reading a book.
They recognized each other but had never exchanged a single word.
Jiha had been too busy hunting for survival knowledge, and the woman had simply kept reading.
When Jiha stood before the counter, she lifted her head.
A beauty with a vacant expression.
A Rare Grade librarian who managed this library.
The librarian stared blankly up at Jiha before slowly parting her lips.
"Do you... have some business?"
Her voice, which he was hearing for the first time, was low but clear.
Her hand still held the book open, and the longing in her eyes to keep reading was painfully obvious.
"There's a book I'm looking for, but it's not here."
"...Which book would that be?"
A flicker of interest crossed her face.
Jiha didn't answer directly. He shifted the topic.
"What's your name?"
"...Bisel Akadium."
Bisel answered quietly, her wariness visibly intensifying.
It was a natural reaction, given that he'd suddenly approached her after months of merely seeing each other's faces every day.
'Well, this woman's a bit odd too.'
She had never once greeted Jiha either.
She was the complete opposite of Sirel from the infirmary, who was always so outgoing.
Under Jiha's gaze, Bisel fidgeted with the bangs of her hair.
She was clearly uncomfortable.
"If a book isn't here, and a Common requests it, it can be acquired, correct?"
"If it truly... isn't here."
Bisel replied with crisp articulation.
"The Waris City Library is a fine institution, but... this library is no less so."
"Because you manage it?"
"...."
Bisel didn't answer, perhaps interpreting his words as sarcasm.
'In reality, you're the librarian and the director.'
It was true that the place was exceptionally well-maintained for a barracks library. The only catch was that Jiha was its sole patron.
"So... what's the book you're looking for?"
"<The Love Adventures of Pensaro>, volume five."
"I've never heard of that... title. Is it a novel?"
"I heard it's selling like crazy these days. I wanted to read it, but it wasn't here."
Bisel looked puzzled but nodded.
"Understood. In that case... I'll fill out a request form. Who's the author?"
"No idea who the author is. Forget the form. I want to read it today, or tomorrow at the latest."
Jiha shrugged.
"I'm a Common. I could die at any moment. I can't keep waiting for a book to come in."
"...."
Commons take part in the Summoning War, so their lives are unpredictable.
There's an armistice now... but from the look of it, Bisel was completely unaware.
A woman who truly lived buried in her books.
When Bisel didn't answer, Jiha pulled a gold coin from his pocket and held it out.
After taking down Quadoran, Jiha's total assets now stood at 160 million. He was flush with cash.
"So you go get it for me. I'll pay you."
"You want... me to go buy it?"
"I'm a Common, remember? I can't just wander out to buy books as I please."
Of course, Jiha could easily go out by dropping Enril's name, but Bisel had no way of knowing that.
"They say it's hugely popular. Other Commons have read it and can't stop raving about it."
That wasn't a lie. Even among Commons with no reading hobby, <The Love Adventures of Pensaro> had been circulating.
"In a life where you never know when you'll die, you've got to get your hands on what you want to read quickly. As a fellow book lover, you'd understand."
"...."
Bisel didn't answer the sudden request right away.
Smiling, Jiha added a hook.
"I'll lend it to you too, if you want to read it."
"...Very well. I'll go, then."
Bisel slowly rose from her seat.
Jiha waved a hand.
"I'll watch the library, so there's no rush."
"...Alright."
As Bisel scurried out, Jiha chuckled softly.
"Well, that takes care of the obstacle..."
With the librarian gone, the library truly became Jiha's private space.
Even if he spent a long while with the succubus Yura, there would be no interruptions.
<The Love Adventures of Pensaro> was a popular book. Up to volume four, that is.
Volume five hadn't been published yet.
"And on top of that, considering what kind of book it is, asking around for it would be awkward..."
The reason <The Love Adventures of Pensaro> was popular even among Commons with no interest in reading was because it was an erotic novel aimed at men, featuring various species.
Isn't it standard that if a magazine with a half-dressed woman appears in an army barracks, it gets passed around like wildfire?
Moreover, <The Love Adventures of Pensaro> boasted explosive popularity because it even included explicit illustrations.
Bisel was clearly a woman with zero social skills. A woman who loved books more than people would likely spend the entire day trying to track down an erotic novel that hadn't even been released yet.
"I can just apologize later, say I was mistaken. Easy enough."
Jiha returned to the sofa and organized his thoughts.
There had been no observable movement yet in response to his declaration two days ago.
'Enril is already more than half under my thumb. If I pin down Yura here and force her to submit... then I effectively seize control of the Blue Seal faction in Waris. I'll swallow half this city whole.'
Blue Seal had five Uniques, but the only ones in this city were Enril and Yura.
If he successfully subdued Yura, then half of Waris—the strategic border city coveted by both factions—would fall into Jiha's grasp.
Thud-rattle. The door opened. Yura's red hair swished as she looked around.
"Over here."
The prey had arrived.
Yura approached cautiously and sat down across from Jiha.
Her settled posture was demure, but her outfit, fitting a succubus, was revealing—a jarring contrast.
Sitting face to face, his eyes were immediately drawn to the provocatively swelling mounds of her chest.
"There's no tea."
Jiha said, pulling his gaze from her chest. Yura answered politely.
"Shall I bring some, then?"
"No, it's fine. Let's just talk."
Jiha sank into the sofa and stared openly at Yura. She waited innocently for him to speak.
Her bat wings were folded, her hands resting on her knees. The very picture of a well-bred young lady.
Her large red eyes gave a gentle impression. Beautiful and composed features.
Following the line of her slender jaw downward, his gaze slammed hard into breasts so full they seized a man's attention in an instant.
If he forced his eyes down from that dizzyingly high, peaked bosom, the soft curve that tightened in at her waist and then flared back out at her hips traced a seductive line.
'Enril has a better ass... but those tits are absolutely killing.'
Countless men would want nothing more than to bury their faces in those voluptuous breasts and lose themselves there.
She was a woman overflowing with sexual allure to the point of driving men mad. The docile, downcast look in her gentle eyes, in particular, set a man's heart pounding.
A flower so staggeringly alluring was signaling for him to pluck her.
If Enril was a thistle of ice that no one dared to touch, this succubus was a defenseless rose that lured men without even realizing it.
"I—why are you...."
As Jiha savored the sight, Yura's face flushed slightly.
It seemed she was embarrassed by a man staring so openly.
"I was starting to wonder if every male in this town was a eunuch."
"Um... what's a eunuch?"
When Yura asked innocently, Jiha burst out laughing.
With a woman like this, shouldn't a man be willing to throw away his life, his rank, and everything else to have her?
Jiha had ambition, of course, so he had no intention of gambling his life on a woman, but he couldn't understand the men of Warsland.
"I'll tell you what that is in a bit."
"Yes...."
Unaware that she would learn the meaning through her body soon enough, Yura nodded obediently.
Jiha abruptly moved to the main topic.
"How did your task go? You said you were going to report to a Legend Grade, didn't you?"
"That's..."
There were ranks above Unique. The supreme rulers of Blue Seal were Legend Grade, beings who commanded the Uniques and dominated the faction.
"Blue Seal has two Legends. Which one do you serve?"
"...."
Yura looked stunned. She clearly hadn't expected a Common like Jiha to raise such a political topic.
Jiha spoke with utter calm.
"I hear those two Legends don't get along. And the Uniques beneath them must be divided into factions based on who they follow. So, you and Enril don't get along either?"
Piecing together the various rumors and circumstances gave him a rough picture of the board.
The border city of Waris was a strategic hub vital to both Blue and Purple. That's why they had agreed to joint governance and designated it as the venue for the Summoning War.
The Blue Seal Uniques stationed here were the dark elf Enril and the succubus Yura. Political considerations were likely at play.
As someone who had been a secretary to a powerful figure, Jiha saw this political landscape clear as day.
"You two belong to different factions. Am I right? Each Legend must have placed their own person here."
"...."
Yura wore a troubled expression, but she didn't deny it. Jiha had hit the mark perfectly.
"Shall we return to the original topic? What did you report?"
"It was just... a regular, formal audience."
Yura answered, looking incredibly flustered. Given her personality, refusing to answer was one thing, but she wouldn't lie.
"Is that the truth?"
"Yes...."
Knowing it was the truth, Jiha pressed her anyway. Yura simply nodded meekly.
"And my name didn't come up? That's impossible."
"I... only heard about your two consecutive victories yesterday. It would have been the same for Lady Cheonho."
Yura spoke the Legend Grade's alias with extreme caution.
Jiha nodded.
"Right. And there were no separate orders for you?"
"She hasn't said anything yet."
Answering readily, Yura had a look of wonder on her face. For an innocent soul like her, it was incomprehensible that a mere Common like Jiha could see through the political dynamics of the high-grade factions and grasp the intent behind his own probing.
Jiha spoke coldly.
"You lied."
"What? What do you..."
"Not here and now. Two days ago, when you reported to the Legend. You told a lie then."
"...."
As if something hit home, Yura stiffened.
"This is serious. Falsifying a report."
Yura was constitutionally incapable of telling a proper lie.
Flustered, Yura shook her head.
"I didn't exactly lie...."
"Right. Even if you didn't lie outright, you must have glossed over things. Or failed to mention what you should have."
"...."
At the direct hit, Yura froze.
Jiha lightly called up his Mana.
"There's no way my story wasn't brought up."
Blue Mana enveloped his entire right arm.
"The first Common ever to wield Mana. A guy on a 28-fight losing streak who was secretly hiding his power. And you're telling me that wasn't discussed? Especially given that this guy has a supervisor from the opposing faction attached to him?"
"...."
Yura couldn't answer. Her silence was affirmation.
"That it was a regular report might be true. But my story definitely came up. And you just glossed over it, the same way you're doing now."
"...."
"Shall I guess why you glossed over it?"
Jiha openly stared into the deep cleft of Yura's generous cleavage.
Naive as she was, he was staring so blatantly that she couldn't possibly miss the meaning.
"Please... don't stare like that..."
Yura hunched over, trying to cover her chest with her arms. Though her breasts were so large they remained mostly uncovered regardless.
"You glossed over it to hide what happened with me."
"Well..."
Yura's cheeks reddened. Ripples of emotion spread through her crimson eyes as she recalled the prior incident.
"But continuing to hide it is impossible. Sooner or later, the higher-ups will order you to get close to me and extract something."
"...."
Completely exposed in her lie disguised as a vague answer, Yura looked extremely flustered.
"Now, shall we get to the real story?"
Jiha waggled a finger at her.
"Stand up."
Yura, who had been cringing, obediently rose from her seat as instructed. Her face was full of bewilderment.
"Come here."
But at his follow-up command, she froze solid. She had guessed what this meant, given what had happened before.
A child caught in a lie deserves her punishment.
From an adult.