Chapter 267 Scheme to Divide -15
Chapter 267 Scheme to Divide -15
A bounty was placed on Lowchen for harming civilians and summoning a Shade, and Waris was placed under martial law.
Three days later.
Jiha sat in the library with his eyes closed.
He had an office, but for thinking alone, this place was still more comfortable.
At the sound of approaching footsteps, Jiha opened his eyes.
His elegant, black-haired secretary, Lijin, stood before him.
"Report the situation."
"The citizens are anxious, but they trust and follow the Security Force."
"Is it working well?"
Lijin nodded neatly.
"Yes, the vast majority of citizens are cooperating with the Security Force. The Security Force is also following your orders, Chief Jiha, and taking care not to cause any trouble for ordinary citizens."
The Security Force—the new name Jiha had given to the group binding his followers together. It was a collective of Commons, Escort Guards, and new recruits, assembled under the Investigation Committee.
'It's a temporary name for now. I'll have to replace it soon.'
Jiha nodded and spoke.
"What's the mood among the market merchants?"
"That would be better answered by Uben..."
"I'm not asking for numbers."
Jiha shook his head.
"The reason I'm specifically asking you this is because you're the closest to the ordinary citizens."
"..."
Lijin was inwardly surprised. She had prepared diligently for his orders, but she'd never imagined he was thinking from this angle.
"Just tell me what you saw and felt firsthand."
"...Daily necessities are dwindling fast. There seems to be some unrest rising as well. Water is fine, but food is becoming a problem."
"Go on."
"There are also rumors that some merchants are hoarding grain and colluding. They're just rumors, mind you. The mood among the citizens is more unsettled than usual."
"I see. Investigate that in more detail separately. Don't bother with the numbers; focus on gauging public sentiment."
Trusting Jiha and the Security Force, the citizens were not evacuating Waris.
"Crime exists everywhere, but a Shade is something more particular..."
"Waris is a city with a very low crime rate. At least, the official crime rate is."
"Because of the Uniques?"
Lijin spoke in a measured tone.
"Yes. So even ordinary criminals usually choose to lie low in Waris. It's a city with four Uniques, the first to be set ablaze if a war breaks out—yet paradoxically, that's why public order is so good. It's the city both camps pay the most attention to."
"A peaceful Korea, then."
Lijin looked uncomprehending at Jiha's self-directed murmur.
Jiha closed his eyes and fell deep into thought.
'Alex said he steals and uses Gashiel's Mana. And seeing that insane obsession of his... It's probably safe to assume Gashiel is imprisoned in Alex's mansion. That would also explain why searching for Gashiel's whereabouts turned up nothing.'
A broader picture began to form.
'Lowchen has fled for now, but it's clear his relationship with Alex has fractured. I'm deliberately holding off on a search...'
Jiha's objective was to make Lowchen and Alex clash, draining each other's strength before he finished both of them off.
In terms of raw combat ability, neither was an easy opponent.
'And Alex is no fool either. Seeing me and the Security Force on the move, he's holding back, hoping to reap the benefits as a bystander...'
His intent to avoid expending his own power unnecessarily was transparent.
When it didn't involve Gashiel, the bastard's mind worked all too well.
"It's one step short."
Something was missing to drive Lowchen and Alex to fight each other with murderous intent.
As Jiha was lost in thought, he sensed Lijin approaching.
He opened his eyes just as a soft sensation pressed against his face.
Lijin, having drawn close to the seated Jiha, wrapped her arms around his head and buried it against her chest.
The subtle, fragrant scent of her skin wafted from within her suit. Inhaling it, Jiha whispered.
"It's warm."
"You haven't been sleeping properly lately. Please rest a little."
Lijin's touch was a gentle patting.
Her chest was soft and warm.
"..."
It was true. Declaring martial law and mobilizing the Security Force had left him without proper rest.
He had snatched moments of sleep here and there, knowing his judgment would suffer otherwise.
Having his head buried in a woman's soft breasts made his sexual desire flare up reflexively.
The urge to tear off those cumbersome clothes and take her as he pleased surged, but Lijin did nothing more than hold his head against her chest.
"..."
The lust was still there, but some of the tension did ease.
A sudden impulse rose to hold this woman, to use her body to refresh both body and mind. When Jiha pressed a hand against her waist, Lijin let out a tense sigh.
"Ah..."
As he traced out the contour of her hips, wrapped in the suit, his male nature stirred awake.
And the change in Lijin's breathing, laced with anticipation, stirred him further.
However, Jiha swallowed his desire and pulled back from her.
"I have some things to sort out right now."
"Yes."
Though there was a trace of regret, Lijin quietly withdrew.
Jiha spoke curtly.
"Is Bisel here right now? Take her out, and bring Pairan here instead."
"Yes, understood."
Lijin suppressed her inner turmoil and responded calmly. Taking the librarian Bisel out and bringing Pairan here instead wouldn't be a simple request, but with Lijin's capability, she would manage it without much difficulty.
Jiha watched Lijin's back intently as she turned and walked away.
A stylish gait, her back held straight and prim, though Jiha could make it crumble whenever he chose.
The innocent university student, Lijin, had transformed into a woman who, when held by Jiha, could now show a certain coquetry of her own.
The sensation of a woman being colored by his touch, the possessive urge that rose with such intensity it nearly scattered his reason—but he had a separate outlet for that.
'I need to nail Pairan down for good.'
For various reasons, she was the key to dealing with Lowchen.
Jiha was controlling even his own desires to achieve his goal.
After thirty minutes of waiting, Pairan arrived.
When Jiha opened his eyes, Pairan was looking down at him with a rigid face.
Jiha spoke.
"Disarm."
"...Why?"
"Keep it on if it's more precious to you than your own neck."
The order to disarm. Pairan's expression turned grave.
But Jiha struck first.
"I told you last time was final. From now on, if you resist a single thing I say, I'll kill you."
"..."
"You only have two options. Surrender to me here, or go to your brother and fully cooperate in summoning the Shade into Warsland. The idea that you can leave this city safely is a delusion."
These barracks, this city—they were now Jiha's.
Even a Unique couldn't act as she pleased here.
Even if Pairan was strong, could she withstand Enril and Leticia attacking her at the same time?
If she held out? Then he'd throw in Yura and Asira as well.
No matter how seasoned Pairan was, in the end, she was just a lone wolf, a solitary individual.
She was no match for Jiha, the leader of a rising power.
"Besides, you messed up my business. And it doesn't end there—I have a feeling you'll mess it up again in the future. I can't trust you."
"...And so?"
Pairan inwardly acknowledged that her hesitation had let Lowchen get away.
And that it had resulted in casualties.
"It might sound like an excuse, but swinging my sword then would have been useless anyway. My brother summoned a Shade to use as a shield..."
"It is an excuse. And it's also true that you hesitated. Even though I warned you, it didn't sink in properly."
Jiha frowned.
He had intended to let Lowchen go anyway, but there was no need to tell her that.
"The outcome is what it is, but intent matters too. In the end, you hesitated. Correct?"
"...Yes."
Pairan finally admitted it honestly.
Even when the perfect opportunity to go for Lowchen's neck had come, she had hesitated, just for a moment, and ruined the task.
"So you need to grovel. That high-and-mighty lady swordsman needs to grovel to me."
As Jiha deliberately sneered, repeating it twice for effect, Pairan bit down hard on her lower lip.
At the same time, a deep flush rose all the way to the tips of her ears. Her face burned with shame at his mockery and a fury she couldn't conceal, because she had no right to refute him.
'Her pride is fierce, but she's strict with herself too.'
After seething for a long moment, Pairan finally managed to speak.
"...Fine."
"Good, now we're getting somewhere. Take them off."
"..."
Pairan reflexively grabbed the sword at her hip.
A reaction of utter rejection, revulsion, and a mix of terror and dread.
She knows she can't beat Jiha, yet she still struggles against it.
Jiha nodded.
"I told you to disarm, and you ignored me. Fine, draw it. I'll just kill you and hold Asira responsible."
"...Lady Asira has nothing to do with this!"
"No, she does. The reason you're being kept alive is because Asira asked me to. Call it a joint guarantee."
"..."
The strength drained from Pairan's hand on the sword.
Having already knelt and begged Jiha once before, and having been completely suppressed when she resisted even then, she had no heart left to attack him now.
'But this one wasn't a Unique from the beginning...'
Unlike other Uniques, Pairan was a woman who had clawed her way up from the bottom.
She hadn't always won, so she knew the bitter taste of defeat and that the line between victory and defeat was razor-thin.
Even though Jiha had completely overwhelmed her before, she would know that a rematch wouldn't necessarily end the same way every time.
"There are no more chances."
Jiha was sincere.
If Pairan held out, there would be no more leniency.
"..."
Hostility and fear toward Jiha, and concern for Asira's safety.
The fact that she had no choice but to borrow Jiha's power to stop Lowchen tangled together in a complex knot within Pairan's chest.
Jiha leisurely savored the conflicted face of the woman before him.
"..."
Swallowing her humiliation, Pairan let go of the sword. Then, with truly reluctant motions, she unfastened her longsword and greatsword and laid them at her feet.
It was a total surrender.
"So now you bow your head."
"..."
With an attitude that screamed she wouldn't say another word, Pairan kept her eyes shut and her mouth firmly closed.
As if believing that was the only resistance she could offer against what was about to happen.
Jiha spoke calmly.
"Take off your clothes."
"...I'm absolutely not doing this because I want to."
"Oh, really?"
When Jiha stood up and approached, Pairan flinched and stepped backward.
She seemed startled by her own reaction, eyes widening, but Jiha didn't hesitate.
"...Ah."
Pairan tried to stand her ground, but as Jiha drew near, she ultimately couldn't hold and retreated in a fluster.
But Jiha didn't let her escape, giving her shoulder a light push.
Pairan, who had anticipated being pulled and was set to resist, toppled over onto the sofa with a thud.
It was a clumsy motion, unbecoming of a Unique, unbecoming of a woman with vast combat experience.
As Pairan scrambled to get up, Jiha planted an arm on the backrest of the sofa, leaning over to block her.
"Ugh..."
Stuck in that awkward position, having fallen and been stopped mid-rise, Pairan froze. Jiha gave a cold smile.
"I'll make you admit you're a woman."
A brat who puts on a pretense of being the male in the room—all you have to do is strip off the mask.