Chapter 28: Hierarchy - 10
Chapter 28: Hierarchy - 10
Three rounds had left him feeling hot.
The day had grown late.
"Shall we call it a day?"
At Jiha's words, Yura, who had been lying on her side and breathing raggedly, opened her eyes.
"......."
The red-haired succubus blinked dazedly.
With a start, she snapped to attention.
Yura collected herself and knelt primly on the sofa.
As if newly conscious of her nakedness, she covered her chest with her arms and pressed her thighs together.
Utterly unaware that such an attitude only kindled a man's lust.
As Yura glanced at him and hesitated, Jiha asked directly.
"So, what was that Drain earlier?"
"That is......"
When Yura struggled to explain, Jiha cut straight in.
"Is it some kind of automatic mechanism for succubi who have never been with a man? Does it activate by force the moment she sleeps with one?"
"......Yes."
Yura nodded, confirming he was right.
Now he understood why the books had been so cagey about Second Awakening.
"Then is there any chance of it activating again?"
"It's fine now......"
Yura hesitated, then spoke in a voice that was barely audible.
"Please look away so I can get dressed. It will only take a moment......"
"Get dressed after we finish talking."
Yura pleaded, but Jiha deliberately ignored her.
Establishing their hierarchy through these small details was highly effective.
"What is Subordination?"
"W-Well, that is......"
When an answer didn't come quickly, Jiha pressed on.
"If you don't tell me, I will go around asking everyone. Just say it."
"A succubus who receives a man's seed inside her for the first time...... becomes subordinated to him. Without that partner, sh-she becomes incapable of finding satisfaction in b-bed."
Yura's face turned bright red.
"So you're saying the first man to finish inside you completely tames you?"
"......Yes."
Yura's reply to Jiha's blunt phrasing was no louder than a mosquito.
Judging by her expression, the topic itself embarrassed her enormously.
Even after everything she had already done in Jiha's arms.
"Then you're subordinated to me now. Since I finished inside you every time."
"......."
Nod. Yura answered with a dip of her head, seemingly unable to force the words out.
For Jiha, this just meant Yura would be easier to handle. Nothing but good news.
"Right, then......"
"U-Um, it's dangerous. Lord Jiha."
"What is?"
"Well......"
Yura, though embarrassed, did her best to explain.
"Subordination is absolute and won't break unless one side dies....... That's why I heard that in the old days, the older succubi always killed their first man."
"They used a man to graduate from virginity and then killed him? That sounds like Warsland, all right."
It meant that rather than live subordinated to a man, they sought a man to use as a one-time tool.
"So, are you planning to try and kill me too?"
"N-No. I do not intend that at all, but the older succubi......"
Jiha frowned.
"Are you saying the other succubi will try to kill me?"
"......I was the last succubus born, so the other succubi cherished me enormously. They were always telling me I had to pick the right man, that I must never let my guard down. They told me again and again to call them if anything went wrong."
"So you were the spoiled youngest of the whole group."
At Jiha's analogy, Yura gave a cautious nod.
"So if this fact leaks out, every succubus will be out for my blood? To set you free from a Common you've been subordinated to?"
"Yes......"
"I see."
Jiha laughed softly.
Nothing really changed.
Whether it was Enril or Yura, if word got out that Jiha had slept with them, his life would be forfeit regardless.
"So? Are you going to run off and tattle?"
"No. But Lord Jiha...... please, you must never speak of what happened today to anyone else."
"I won't."
It was a deal with no downside for Jiha.
Just as Yura's expression finally relaxed, Jiha attached a condition.
"In exchange, you will offer me your body whenever I want."
"What? B-But......"
"You enjoyed it too, didn't you?"
"Th-That's......"
"Anyway, my life could end any day. This Subordination thing might dissolve before you know it."
Having driven the point home, Jiha rose from his seat.
As he approached, Yura froze stiff, her arms still covering her breasts.
A frightened look, but her gaze didn't leave Jiha's face.
"......."
When Jiha smiled, she quickly lowered her eyes and averted her gaze.
Jiha reached out and took hold of Yura's cheek, then her chin.
"Ah......"
Yura let out a tense sigh and faltered.
Her words might waffle, but her body obeyed.
But when Jiha moved his fingers to touch her lips, Yura turned her head slightly away.
"......No."
"......."
So lips were off-limits now?
The reaction didn't immediately make sense to him, but if she really hated it, she would have pushed him away.
Eyes cast slightly downward, cheeks tinged with red.
She was embarrassed to be touched by Jiha, but she wasn't refusing.
But it was as if she wanted him to treat her as something more precious.......
'Affection?'
Jiha gauged Yura's feelings and felt a little taken aback.
Men and women who slept together normally grew more familiar, but the emotion coming through Yura's flushed cheeks was somewhat different.
A psychology he couldn't quite grasp at a glance.
But despite her shyness and embarrassment, Yura showed no sign of speaking up first.
If a woman was hiding her heart, asking directly would backfire.
"......."
Jiha looked down at the breasts Yura covered with her arms.
Voluptuous, full mounds. Even after kneading them all this time, the mere sight made him want to grab them again.
Feeling his gaze, Yura lowered her arms slightly.
As if to say touching her lips was rejected, but touching her breasts was fine.
"Looking again, your eyes are pretty."
"......What?"
"I said, your eyes are pretty."
Jiha smiled and let go of Yura's chin.
As Yura blinked her red eyes vacantly, Jiha turned away lightly.
"I'll be off, then."
"Ah......"
Yura's inner thoughts were in turmoil.
A woman's heart like this needed to be left to mature with time before seizing it.
Walking toward the library exit, Jiha noticed a mess of books scattered near the counter.
"What's this?"
They hadn't been there earlier.
He hadn't heard them fall. Though he'd been too preoccupied during the Drain incident.
"......."
He had his suspicions, but confirmation would come later.
For now, only one fact mattered.
'I am now the leader of this barracks.'
This Blue Seal barracks, the Commons and the two Uniques, all rested in the palm of his hand.
The next step was Purple.
He would confirm the ability he gained by biting Yura, then meet with Purple tomorrow.
The next day.
Okram had moved to a different room, giving Jiha the room to himself. Sitting on the bed, Jiha steadied his breathing.
"Alright, then......"
When Jiha summoned his Mana, it covered his entire right arm and half of his left.
His Mana had increased proportionally to the blood he'd sucked from Yura.
"At this rate, it'll cover my entire body."
Having confirmed his Mana quantity, Jiha next checked what kind of Special Ability he had acquired.
The moment he formed the thought, his back grew hot and Mana gathered there.
The coalesced Mana took the shape of a pair of bat wings and began to move up and down.
They were not physical; they were wings made of Mana.
"Flight ability."
As he concentrated, his feet floated gently off the ground.
Jiha panicked at the floating sensation, and his body plopped back down.
If he lost focus, they vanished.
"This is going to take quite a bit of practice......"
He drew out the wings again, and his body rose once more.
When he imagined horizontal movement in his head, his body glided naturally.
"They move by will......"
Like moving a limb, he could operate them naturally without paying them too much attention.
Current duration was about five seconds. With more Mana and practice, he could sustain them longer.
As Jiha mused over this, he focused Mana toward his feet, and a hand shot out from the shadows.
"The wings and Shadow Hand can be used simultaneously......"
Now Jiha could conduct aerial maneuvers to strike and retreat, using extended shadows to attack.
"Good. This makes the hardship worthwhile."
Though he had skirted death, a genuinely useful ability had emerged.
After testing side-to-side movement and altitude control inside the room, Jiha retracted the wings at the sound of noise from outside.
"Commander, it's about time to head out."
It was Uben.
"Come in."
Uben entered with permission and bowed his head.
"The appointed time to meet the Common representative from the Purple side is nearly here. You should prepare."
"If we leave now, will we be on time?"
When Uben answered yes, Jiha shook his head.
"We leave in twenty minutes."
"You intend to arrive late?"
"That's right."
Jiha flopped onto the bed.
There was no way the Purple side would get up and leave just because Jiha was late.
They would want to know what kind of man Jiha was, the one who had defeated Quadoran and rallied the Blue Seal Commons.
They could just wait anxiously.
Jiha intended to establish from the very start exactly who held the upper hand.
"Who did Purple say would be coming?"
"After Quadoran died, the Metal Golem Gakdeu seized the right to speak. He will likely come."
"I've seen him before."
Jiha had fought him once.
To be precise, he had surrendered on sight.
"Despite his hard appearance, he was a generous sort. He should be easy to bend to my will."
Uben nodded.
Jiha asked,
"What's the reaction from various quarters regarding the Summoning War armistice?"
"We Commons are delighted, but the citizens of Waris seem to have many complaints."
"Well, the Summoning War was a sport and an economic stimulus policy for them."
Though for the Commons doing the fighting, it was a shitty reality.
By risking their lives in battle, they had generated economic effects for this city, Waris.
Uben asked cautiously,
"Do we not need to be wary of the dark elf and the succubus?"
"I'll handle that myself."
"Yes, then I will report it as a matter with no issues on that end."
Uben confirmed this in order to raise the next point.
"It seems a Unique Grade from the Purple side will move personally."
"The celestial Unique, Gashiel?"
"I do not believe it is her. I have only picked up signs."
"Understood, I'll keep it in mind."
"Yes, then please rest. I will come to wake you in thirty minutes."
Uben paid his respects and left.
"He's a capable one."
He sought out intelligence on his own and reported it.
He might not be blindly loyal, but he was sharp.
Jiha closed his eyes and organized his thoughts.
Plans to strong-arm the Purple Commons into submission tonight.
Night.
Jiha headed to the meeting spot, bringing the werewolf Uben and the lion beastman Garaon with him.
Commons were not allowed free outings, but Jiha could come and go as he pleased.
"It has been agreed that their side will also send three."
"Right."
Walking through the nighttime streets of Waris, eyes followed them from all around.
The armistice of the Summoning War had spread Jiha's name as the cause.
"That's the Common?"
"Is it really?"
"The one next to him is Uben......"
As passersby stopped to murmur, Jiha gave a wry smile.
"Garaon, they don't recognize you?"
"Do they need to?"
Garaon tilted his head innocently.
When Uben shot him a glare, Garaon scratched his head.
"Ah, this is tricky. I've never had to speak formally before. Sorry, Commander."
"It's fine."
Garaon had accepted the result cleanly and was following Jiha.
Uben stopped in front of a tavern in the entertainment district.
"It's here. The Yorn tavern."
It was a place Jiha had visited before with Okram.
A prosperous establishment known for decent taste at reasonable prices.
"To avoid standing out, we did not reserve the entire establishment. It provides leeway for the excuse that we merely joined tables by chance."
"Alright, then......"
Crash!!
The sound of something breaking came from inside.
Then something heavy came flying out.
After rolling across the ground, the object sprawled motionless on the street.
It was an opponent Jiha had seen before.
"It's the Metal Golem Gakdeu."
The Purple Common representative he had planned to meet tonight was laid out on the ground.
Uben asked,
"What should we do?"
"What do you mean, what? We go in."
"Given that trouble seems to have broken out, perhaps withdrawing for now......"
"It's a waste of time. Do you think this happened by coincidence?"
Gakdeu, who had come here to meet Jiha, had no reason to pick a random fight.
Jiha stepped inside, speaking as he went.
"Gakdeu is one of the better Common fighters. Someone who can send him flying like that is rare among Commons."
"I think I could do it?"
When Garaon said that without any tact, Jiha looked back at him.
"......I think I could do it, sir."
Jiha let out a short laugh at the simple reaction of correcting his speech.
"Haha, right. Our Garaon could probably pull that off. But Garaon, you don't have two bodies, do you?"
"Hmm, true. You're right about that."
As Jiha acknowledged him, Garaon nodded his head proudly.
Uben trailed off,
"Then......"
"Yeah. It means some crazy bitch is running wild in there."
To smash Gakdeu like that meant a high-rank, in other words, a woman.
The inside of Yorn was a wreck.
Two tables were destroyed, and two Purple Commons lay sprawled on the floor.
And standing before the broken tables, irritably dusting off her hands, was a woman.
Clad in a green light combat outfit, her golden hair hung past her waist to her hips, pointed ears peeking out from within the strands.
Following her slim, femininely curved figure downward led the eye to long, sleek legs.
The woman's harmonious, distinctive features were clouded with displeasure and peevish irritation, but even that expression appeared mesmerizing on such a beautiful woman.
The angry-faced woman fixed her glare on Jiha.
"What filth were you muttering as you walked in, human?"
A Purple Unique.
The elf bared her teeth.