Chapter 255 Scheme to Divide -3
Chapter 255 Scheme to Divide -3
Pairan had a brother?
Jiha was surprised, but he didn't let it show on his face.
The man didn't react to Pairan's call, his glare fixed solely on Jiha.
If the man let his guard down—if he relaxed even for a moment—he'd be cut down.
As the two men locked blades and began a contest of strength, Pairan spoke sharply.
"I won't say it twice."
When Pairan swiftly drew her longsword, the man's face stiffened.
One against two was a disadvantage, plain and simple. Jiha, anticipating a front kick, raised his knee and blocked it.
The two men's bodies swayed precariously in the air as their legs collided.
An opening!
Just as Jiha and the man were about to swing their swords again, Pairan slashed her own blade and forced her way between them.
The sharp strike and the ensuing pressure left Jiha no choice but to step back.
Engaging in close combat inside Pairan's gravity field was pushing it.
The man she called her brother also retreated, plainly displeased, and flicked his sword.
"Why interfere?"
"Because I slept with her."
At Jiha's taunt, Pairan and the man both stared at him in disbelief.
"Crazy talk."
"Does sleeping with him make him unkillable?"
Jiha laughed at the unanimous retort from the pair, but his eyes never left the man.
'I'd like to kill him right here if possible...'
The moment their swords met, he'd known the man was a formidable expert. What's more, he didn't look like someone who'd lost many fights.
He wasn't some small fry.
But this was the barracks, Jiha's stronghold. If he was going to kill him, now was the time.
However, Pairan looked at Jiha and spoke.
"Let my brother go. If you don't, you'll have to fight me as well."
"Seems to me it'd be better to just make corpses of the both of you, side by side."
Even as he said it, Jiha sheathed his sword.
Pairan was a hunting dog he was using. He hadn't even caught the rabbit yet—no point in boiling the hound.
Then Pairan spoke to the man she called her brother as well.
"Quietly. Leave without touching anyone, and never come back. This isn't a warning."
"I'll call you out next time."
The man said that, turning his gaze to Jiha.
"Are you going to stop me?"
"Are you real siblings?"
Back in Korea, women sometimes used familiar address terms for close older men, after all.
He was checking whether some species in the otherworld of Warsland might follow a similar custom.
"I am Lowchen Amaut."
"Fine. Then I'll kill you next time."
"I'll do the same. Jiha Shin."
"Just use my first name."
Ignoring Jiha's words, Lowchen addressed Pairan.
"Then we'll talk again next time."
Pairan still had her sword drawn, glaring daggers at both men.
She was poised to intervene immediately if either of them ignored her warning and tried anything again.
It had been a pointless show of tension.
Lowchen passed by without giving Jiha another glance, and Jiha merely leaned against the corridor wall and yawned.
It was almost impossible to believe they'd drawn steel on each other at first sight without a moment's hesitation.
Only after Lowchen's figure had vanished did Pairan sheathe her sword.
"If this had gone on any longer, you'd be dead."
Pairan spoke sternly, and Jiha laughed.
"Would you have joined in too?"
"My brother is strong. He'll kill you next time, so never fight him."
"...."
Pairan wasn't the joking type.
And since she'd fought Shade alongside Jiha, she knew his skill level.
'Of course, she doesn't know the full extent of my abilities...'
But Pairan, who had served in both Blue Seal and Purple Liberation and risen from Super Rare to Unique, would have a sharp eye for assessing strength.
"Unless you're giving him an advantage because he's your blood... is that bastard really that strong?"
"Even three of you couldn't beat him."
"Then why isn't someone that strong more well-known?"
After crossing blades with him, Jiha knew the man was strong enough to crush someone like Kamain.
Kamain had made a name for himself as Blue Seal's only male Super Rare... but Jiha had never heard the name Lowchen.
"Because we've been fighting in the shadows."
"Right, so it's about time you dropped the act and spilled some information, isn't it?"
Jiha jutted his chin toward Pairan's room.
"You've got a lot to explain. Let's continue inside."
"No."
Pairan spoke firmly.
"I don't want a bastard like you in my room."
"You're showing me quite a lot of emotion, aren't you?"
Extreme wariness. Jiha snorted and waved his hand.
"You couldn't possibly think you can lay out a situation like this and just clam up and move on. Are you going to exercise your right to remain silent or something?"
"...."
"Or should I call Asira? Would you feel less like crying and start talking if your mommy was here?"
"You."
Pairan snapped immediately.
Not just her words—her hand even went to the greatsword on her back.
"First the older brother, now the little sister wants a piece?"
When Jiha grinned, Pairan bit down hard on her pale lips.
"It's uncomfortable talking while standing. So I'm going to talk in your room."
This barracks was his domain, a place where he could do as he pleased.
No, the entirety of Waris was Jiha's front yard.
Jiha declared it and headed for Pairan's room.
"...."
Pairan, clearly reluctant, followed after him in the end.
Pairan's room.
The sole piece of luggage she possessed was a single backpack.
Jiha noted it and sat down casually on a chair at the table.
Pairan, openly irritated, sat down across from him.
"You keep losing your temper... but right now, this isn't a situation where you can afford to be angry, is it?"
"My brother's visit wasn't intentional. I'll make sure something like this doesn't happen again."
"...."
Jiha looked at Pairan askance.
Lowchen was part of Ouroboros, an ally of Alex.
And not some low-level pawn like Heinrich, but a figure of considerable rank.
Could that man's little sister have no connection to Ouroboros?
"Where do your loyalties lie, Pairan?"
"...I don't know what you heard from my brother, but I have nothing to do with them."
"So you knew about them."
Jiha read it immediately from that short exchange.
Unlike Barjet, Pairan was aware of Ouroboros's existence.
No—Asira and the other Uniques hadn't known, but Pairan alone had known.
"Which means you knew your brother was running around doing insane shit, and you kept your mouth shut."
"...."
"How long have you known?"
Pairan thought for a moment, then sighed.
"Since a few years ago. I also knew that Kamain was one of my brother's subordinates."
"...."
When Jiha looked at her skeptically, Pairan shook her head.
"Even if he was a subordinate, it wasn't a close relationship. Kamain probably never knew I was the little sister of the man giving him occasional orders."
"Keep talking."
"...My brother's goal is to bring Shade, who was banished beyond the dimension, back to Warsland. That's why he's cooperating with Ouroboros."
"Why?"
Come to think of it, Pairan had been oddly knowledgeable about Shade.
"Because Shade is exactly what you'd call a corrupted spirit—a being born by consuming the soul of a human fetus and hijacking its body."
Pairan spoke flatly.
"Yogwi are half human and half wicked shadow specter. Shade is trapped beyond the dimension, so it can't properly exert its influence over Warsland. But if it returns, it could turn human children into Yogwi far more easily and multiply their numbers beyond comparison."
Pairan revealed Lowchen's objective.
"My brother wants to summon more Shades to Warsland... and found a kingdom of Yogwi."
"So it's a 'find your people's roots' movement. And you're trying to stop that?"
"...Yes."
"Could you kill him?"
Jiha asked plainly.
Pairan hesitated a moment, then nodded.
"If I want to stop him, I'll have to. And you can't face my brother half-heartedly. Even three of me couldn't beat him."
"Are you saying we're on the same level?"
"I was being generous."
When Pairan replied coldly, Jiha waved his hand dismissively.
"Well, I've got the gist. While I'm at it, I'll kill Alex and your brother too. Tell me now if you have a problem with that."
"...I don't."
Pairan said it with a face that made her reluctance painfully clear.
Seeing that honest expression of not wanting to kill Lowchen, Jiha snorted.
"You came to Waris because you heard Shade had appeared, right? Did you volunteer for this mission? Or even if you didn't, deep down, that was the reason? You thought Lowchen had something to do with Shade suddenly showing up?"
"...."
He'd made a leap of logic and taken a shot, but it seemed he'd hit the mark.
"So you didn't come running because you heard Asira was in Waris. You had your own circumstances and ambitions. You're a beautiful swordswoman who suddenly appeared, hiding your true intentions to put a stop to your world-wrecking brother?"
At Jiha's sarcasm, Pairan's face twisted in annoyance.
"If this is mockery..."
"Shut your mouth, you mess-making bitch."
Jiha's expression turned dead serious, and he glared at Pairan coldly.
The Uniques Jiha had met were all tamed by now. Even Barjet could no longer defy him.
The only one who still did was Pairan Amaut—this one woman.
The reason he'd let her be until now was that he could use Asira to move and manipulate Pairan.
Also, she held various pieces of information he needed to wring out of her.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Exactly what it sounds like. You're the idiot who abandoned Asira and ran."
"...Who said I abandoned her?"
Sparks flew in Pairan's odd eyes, and her hand shot straight for her sword.
"I get it, the moment your beloved lady is mentioned, you turn into a mutt wagging your tail in excitement... but let's tone it down. I can't overlook this anymore."
Jiha ignored the fact that Pairan was poised to draw her blade.
Because these words alone would shatter her.
"You knew Kamain belonged to Ouroboros and still ran, didn't you? It wasn't just that Kamain's scheming broke your spirit. This was the real reason, wasn't it?"
"...."
"Are you going to tell me you didn't know Kamain was targeting Asira? That you knew exactly what kind of bastard he was, that he was approaching her with ill intent, and yet you stood by and watched?"
Pairan was speechless.
That she had known Asira was in danger and done nothing—he'd hit the mark dead center.
"You couldn't even protect her by her side, and the moment you found an excuse, you bolted. If you'd defected because you were offered a Unique position, like Mayan said, that would almost be better. But no, you just threw the master you served into the fire and ran."
"...."
Pairan trembled but couldn't offer a single retort.
She'd never backed down a single word until now, always openly showing contempt and disgust, but being struck to her core drained all color from her face.
"I had my... circumstances..."
"Did you run because you were scared of your brother?"
"...."
Pairan looked shocked.
Jiha had thrown it out there without much thought, but it was the absolute truth.
Pairan's thought process was straightforward—with enough information, her principles of action were easy to grasp.
"Right. Now that you're a Unique, you came back proudly, thinking you finally had the strength to protect Asira, the strength to rein in your brother. And in the meantime, you've been grinding your teeth for nothing, just because I took your place."
"...I wasn't grinding my teeth."
Pairan offered a feeble excuse, but there was no strength in her voice.
Jiha looked at her coldly.
"I'll give you one chance. Kneel."
"What?"
"I could wrap this up regardless, but I'll make use of you. So kneel before me and beg."
Jiha gave the order firmly.
How do you handle a disobedient hunting dog?
You discipline it.