Chapter 29: Expanding Power
Chapter 29: Expanding Power
Sharp ears.
Jiha watched the glaring blonde elf beauty with keen interest.
At his gaze, the elf frowned.
"Are you deaf, human?"
"Garaon, she's calling you. Answer her."
When Jiha smoothly deflected, Garaon blinked.
But the lion beastman straightened his broad chest without complaint and replied heartily.
"If you have something to say to me, say it, elf."
"......."
Clearly feeling mocked, the elf's expression twisted with fresh offense.
Uben stepped forward and spoke.
"Pardon us. I think there's been some misunderstanding..."
"Silence, half-breed beast-blood."
The elf reacted with overt disgust.
"A mere beastman dares to address me, a Unique? One more word from that verminous creature who sheds lice and fleas with every breath, and I'll tear out your tongue."
"Insulting my comrade! Apologize at once!"
As Garaon bristled, Jiha pointed out.
"You're a beastman too."
"She insulted me as well! Even more unforgivable!"
When Garaon grew more agitated, Jiha raised an arm to block him.
Time to stop playing around.
"So why is a Purple Unique picking a fight with Blue Commons? We just came out for a drink."
"Don't play dumb, you wretched human."
The elf lifted her foot and pressed it down on the Purple Common minotaur collapsed on the floor.
Calon, an opponent Jiha had fought before.
A colosseum powerhouse with the destructive force to charge and smash anything.
Yet now he only groaned, pinned under the slender elf's leg.
Because of the purple aura coiling around her leg, the overwhelming Mana.
"You think I wouldn't know you rats were secretly meeting tonight to scheme in your filthy collusion?"
"Grugh. Grraaaahhh..."
As the hulking minotaur groaned in agony, Uben, Garaon, and everyone in the tavern fell silent.
Everyone knew the woman who caused this commotion was a Purple Unique, a powerhouse capable of bringing down everyone in the establishment.
In the silence, Jiha threw out a remark.
"Well, I can clearly see you're a complete bitch."
"......."
The elf's eyes went wide.
She was so dumbfounded she couldn't even get angry right away.
Her pointed ear tips quivered before she slowly asked.
"...What did you just say? Did something go wrong with the language system during summoning...?"
"Shut up and move your foot."
Jiha spoke in earnest.
The sight before him was deeply unpleasant.
"I'm barely inclined to listen even when people talk politely, so what the hell do you think you're doing?"
"...Boss."
Uben called out with a tense face.
Garaon, belatedly realizing the opponent was a Unique, was also holding his breath.
"You insolent human!"
Killing intent flickered in the elf's eyes as she kicked off the floor.
Boom! Boom!
Darting forward like an arrow, the elf sent Garaon flying with a front kick, then knocked Uben aside with a side kick.
Next, she aimed a spinning kick with added rotation straight for Jiha's head.
Smack!
"......."
Jiha raised his arm and blocked the elf's spinning kick.
A Mana-infused attack; Jiha roused his own Mana in response.
His arm bone throbbed painfully, but Jiha showed no sign of it.
"See, you do listen when I tell you to move."
"......."
The elf looked surprised, not expecting her attack to be blocked.
When Jiha nudged her thigh with his arm, she warily widened the distance.
'...Not good.'
The only reason he'd blocked that attack was because Garaon and Uben had bought time with their bodies.
In a prolonged fight or direct clash, the gap in total Mana would put Jiha at a disadvantage.
If he deployed his wings and Shadow Hand and used the terrain to his advantage, Jiha wasn't entirely without a chance.
'But there's nothing to gain even if I win.'
The odds were low, and victory yielded nothing.
Worse, it would only reveal his wings to others.
"......."
Fortunately, the elf wasn't attacking again.
With a deeply wounded expression, she kept subtly checking the customers who had pulled back.
It was the look of someone deeply concerned about how others perceived a mere Common like Jiha blocking the attack of a Unique like herself.
'Vanity, then.'
If a second round broke out now, she'd really stop at nothing to win.
Jiha frowned and extended a hand.
"The greetings are over, so shall we talk now?"
"What?"
The elf, reassessing the gap, looked incredulous.
"You came because you have business with me, right?"
The elf had received prior intelligence that Jiha and the Purple Commons were meeting and raided the scene to break things up.
But if she just wanted to crack down internally, she didn't need to come in person.
Warsland operated on survival of the fittest; a Unique could beat down a Common on mere suspicion, and as long as they didn't kill them, there'd be no problem.
The fact that this elf went out of her way meant she had business with Jiha.
Concern flickered across the elf's face, but then a man pushed through the crowd.
"Lady Leticia, let's talk first."
"Pamin."
Recognizing the man, the elf nodded haughtily as if she had no choice.
The man called Pamin then turned to Jiha.
"I've secured a room for us to talk. Let's speak there."
'An elf man, her aide...'
When Jiha didn't answer right away, the man offered a slight bow.
He was a handsome man with smooth features, as befitted an elf.
"The situation is a bit chaotic, but we can wrap this up quietly."
"Yeah?"
Jiha smiled and withdrew his Mana.
As Garaon and Uben were just managing to stand, Jiha gave orders.
"Uben, look after the downed Commons. Garaon, follow me."
Pamin led them to a secluded room on the first floor of Yorn.
Normally, Yorn had a commoner-friendly atmosphere bustling with customers, but the atmosphere changed completely once they passed the partition.
Shutting the door blocked out all the noise from outside.
A lamp on the elegant wooden table cast a soft yellow glow.
Beautiful murals adorned the walls; the ambiance was quite secluded.
Pamin was still handling the aftermath, so Garaon, Jiha, and the elf woman were the first to sit.
"Not bad."
"It's a dump."
Jiha and the elf simultaneously gave opposite assessments.
The elf openly sneered at Jiha.
"Marveling at a rat-hole like this, just like a fool of a human strutting around with furry beasts."
"At least they're capable of conversation, unlike a bitch who hasn't grown any fur down there."
At Jiha's retort, the elf stared blankly for a moment, then erupted in fury.
"...Y-you dare! A m-mere human mocking me with such vulgar words!"
"Hey, boss. Are there creatures without fur?"
When Garaon asked cluelessly, Jiha readily answered.
"Guys like Rugin are gargoyles, so they don't have any fur at all. Not even head hair."
"But this elf has hair on her head."
Garaon's face showed absolutely no comprehension of what Jiha meant.
The elf, who had been seething as if about to pounce, froze at Garaon's gaze.
Seeing the lion beastman tilt his head in genuine confusion completely stole her words.
"Right? I've got no idea why she's acting like that either. Something bothering her, maybe?"
"You..."
The elf's face cycled through shades of red and blue just as Pamin opened the door and entered.
"My apologies for being late. The cleanup took some time. Now, first..."
"Let's order."
Jiha said that, then clapped Garaon on the shoulder.
"Garaon, order whatever you want today, as much as you want. The elves in front of us are paying."
"Really?"
As Garaon's eyes flashed greedily, Jiha looked at Pamin.
"That's how it's going to be, right?"
"...Of course."
"......."
The elf woman looked extremely irritated but kept her mouth shut and simply turned her head away.
Thanks to Garaon ordering freely, the table was covered with snacks and drinks.
Jiha ate moderately, and Garaon tore into the lamb as much as he pleased, but didn't touch the alcohol.
"Why aren't you drinking?"
"If I get drunk, I can't protect you, boss."
Jiha laughed at Garaon's reliable reply.
Pamin ate a bit of the snacks, while the female elf didn't touch a thing.
She openly loathed Garaon's incessant eating; it was obvious she hated sitting at the same table.
'Of course, I seated him here precisely so she'd hate it.'
Uben was the brains, but when it came to acting without tact, Garaon excelled.
Jiha had brought Garaon along fully intending to mock his opponent as much as possible.
An agitated opponent tends to show openings, and Jiha planned to exploit that.
As Jiha drank, Pamin broached the subject.
"Allow me to formally introduce myself again. I am Pamin Rosen, a Purple Rare Grade elf. And the lady seated beside me is Lady Leticia Yormun, a Unique Grade high elf of Purple Liberation."
"Superior and subordinate?"
When Jiha asked bluntly, still using casual speech, Leticia frowned.
Pamin replied with a smile.
"Yes, that's..."
"Rare Grade, you said?"
Jiha hadn't asked twice for no reason.
The dark elf Unique Enril had promoted her own aide, the beastman Mayan, to Super Rare Grade and utilized her as such.
This insufferable elf Unique came all the way here and the companion she chose wasn't even a Super Rare?
"...Is there a problem?"
Pamin still wore a smile, but Jiha considered it a moment before letting it go.
"Keep talking."
"As Sir Jiha's name has risen, we too wanted to meet you at least once and forge ties. That's why this meeting..."
"Cut the bullshit and speak human."
Jiha pointed with his chin at Leticia, who was openly irate.
"You brought this along and you're spouting that crap? Stop groveling like a sales agent and get to the point."
"...'This,' you say?"
Leticia's eyebrows shot skyward, but Garaon abruptly reached out and pulled the plate of lamb set before her toward himself.
With the beastman's arm waving right in front of her face, Leticia recoiled and wrenched her head away.
Her disgust at this situation outweighed her anger toward Jiha.
"You are a blunt-spoken man... Very well, I'll get to the point as you wish."
Pamin spoke seriously.
"Won't you come to our side, Sir Jiha?"
"What's that mean, boss?"
Garaon, chewing on lamb, looked puzzled.
Jiha tapped the table, and Garaon nodded and fell silent.
Understanding it was Jiha's turn to speak now.
"You're asking me to defect to Purple? Can a Common just change camps on their own?"
"It's unprecedented, but if Sir Jiha accepts, we will handle the arrangements ourselves."
Jiha grasped the intention of this elf man and woman.
They wanted to recruit Jiha, a Blue Seal Common, over to Purple.
Was that the aim behind the armistice in the Summoning War?
Pamin proposed.
"If you state your terms, we'll accommodate them to the best of our ability."
"Leaving the barracks, buying a house, eating and sleeping freely?"
"Unprecedented... but it should be possible. Within Waris, that is."
Meaning it was acceptable within this city.
"What if I don't participate in the Summoning War?"
"If you cooperate with us, that won't be a problem. Naturally, we'll provide living expenses and cover all sorts of costs as well."
"Oh?"
Jiha smiled smoothly.
Head hunting — something that could happen in any industry. And right now, among the Commons, Jiha was a blue-chip asset.
Everyone acknowledged that at present, no Common could beat Jiha.
"Not a bad offer, but I'll need someone to manage my household."
"You mean a maid? That too can of course be arranged..."
"No, I'll pick that person myself."
They were offering to let a slave live in comfort?
Sounded too good to be true.
Smiling, Jiha pointed his finger at Leticia.
"If that bitch serves as my slave, I'll consider your proposal."
If you want to know what your enemy really wants, make them angry.