Chapter 293 Independence -22
Chapter 293 Independence -22
Dead of night.
The security forces, acting on Jiha's orders, had completed their occupation of Waris.
Jiha received the situation report at Alex's mansion.
Uben, who had rushed over as a liaison, could barely contain his excitement as he made his report.
"Everything went smoothly. Zero friendly casualties."
There had been a possibility of resistance, given the various personalities involved, even with Mayor Dudinel's cooperation. But the security forces' seizure of the newspaper office and city hall was bloodless.
Jiha had built up achievements over time, and the forces were commanded by a Unique. Who would dare oppose that?
Jiha's real concern hadn't been casualties. It had been information leaking out.
Waris was now under complete lockdown.
"The capture of Blue's and Purple's informants and spies?"
"All of them, as per Iroha Deadheart's intelligence."
"That buys us a little time."
Jiha had staged a coup, but the intel wouldn't immediately reach Blue Seal and Purple.
A few days at most... but those few days were crucial.
"Good. Word of the security forces' movements will spread with the morning breeze. Let rumors drift out: there was an incident last night and someone put a stop to it. Subtly spread word that the details will be revealed to the people around noon tomorrow."
"Understood. So then..."
"Oh, and don't spread it openly. Be subtle about it."
When Uben didn't quite grasp it, Jiha added a note.
"It's crucial that this looks natural. The public can't think I orchestrated it. We have to frame it as me simply responding to a situation as it unfolded. I can't afford to be seen as the same as the upper crust in Blue and Purple."
It was about justification.
The gist was that he'd only wanted to live quietly but rose up to restore order because the world was in chaos.
'If word gets out early that I'm aiming for world conquest, it'll be hard to gain any traction.'
Uben finally seemed to understand and nodded.
"I understand. I'll spread the rumors carefully and discreetly. Won't even mention you did it, just that there was some kind of upheaval."
"Right. And..."
Under normal circumstances, he should be in this reception room monitoring the situation.
This was the day he'd seized the city. Anything could happen, so he needed to be reachable at any moment.
'Damn it...'
But the fire burning below wouldn't go out. Jiha had driven others into heat before, but this was the first time he'd been the one afflicted, and it had him thoroughly rattled.
He'd initially hoped it would subside, but after nearly an hour his erection still showed no sign of going down.
It might sound funny, but this was no laughing matter.
"You stay here. Anything changes, you come to me directly. I'll be in Gashiel's bedroom."
"Understood. If anything comes up, I'll notify you right away. Please, rest comfortably."
Uben said it, but Jiha found himself adding a qualifier.
"It's not like I'm doing this for no reason..."
"Not at all. You absolutely must persuade Gashiel Remaker. Please, demonstrate your masculine charms to their fullest."
"...Are you joking?"
"Half-serious."
Uben gave an awkward grin. Jiha shook his head.
"Have Barjet look after the survivors. Summon Pairan, and you go out and receive the reports. I'll say it again: report to me immediately if anything happens."
"Yes. If it's something beyond my ability to resolve, I'll notify you."
Uben bowed his head with an embarrassed smile.
A wolf beastman smiling like that... truly a strange sight.
Once Uben was gone, Jiha tsked.
"Hnn."
He'd finally achieved independence. He should be monitoring every detail of the unfolding situation and responding, yet here he was, consumed by carnal lust.
The usual Jiha wouldn't be like this, but right now he was in heat.
A full hour of persistent erection. This was dangerous.
'At this rate, it'll go necrotic. Should I just cut it off? Cut it off, then regenerate it with a healing art...'
Jiha even entertained the thought for a moment, but that was still too extreme.
Healing arts were advanced, sure, but he didn't know if they could regenerate something as complex and sensitive as a penis. And even if they could, just lopping it off wasn't really an option.
Above all else, he had plenty of women to sate his lust with.
"Tsk."
Gashiel's blood was definitely the problem.
The celestial's blood seemed to have triggered some kind of side effect in his Bloodsucking Mana.
He'd never revealed that he possessed Bloodsucking Mana, so there was no one to ask.
For now, he'd learned a fact: celestial blood made his body go into heat.
Footsteps approached the reception room. A beauty with striking dark-blue ponytail appeared.
Pairan Amaut. Normally a peerlessly cold and dauntless woman, but her gaze toward Jiha now held a subtle mixture of fear and wariness.
"Come here."
"..."
Pairan walked over slowly, without a word.
Each step of her alluring figure made her chest subtly sway, and a pleasant scent drew closer. Beneath the cloth of his trousers, his erection throbbed incessantly.
"..."
Should he just have Pairan suck it?
Come to think of it, having a woman use her mouth would let him keep working.
With that thought in mind, he gave an order.
"Kneel."
"Where..."
There were no chairs nearby. There was one at the end of the rectangular table, but that likely wasn't what he meant.
"..."
What Jiha's gaze demanded was clear.
Pairan carefully knelt and settled onto the floor.
Dressed in light armor, she pressed a hand against her miniskirt as she knelt, a feminine gesture to avoid any accidental exposure.
"You act surprisingly girlish."
"What are you..."
"I thought you'd only put on a tough, mannish act, since you like women."
Pairan, looking deeply troubled, spoke carefully.
She was now very cautious about speaking rashly to Jiha.
"For the last time, my feelings for Lady Asira aren't like that. It's simply..."
"Simply what?"
"Simply..."
After hesitating a long while, Pairan spoke carefully.
"I just want the person I like to be happy."
"So you've never pleasured yourself thinking about Asira?"
"..."
Pairan's face flushed crimson, but whether it was because he'd hit the mark or because she felt insulted was impossible to tell.
Jiha spoke indifferently.
"Crawl."
"What?"
"On all fours. Crawl."
Jiha said no more, simply watching her.
Pairan, who had bristled reflexively, was reminded anew that the person speaking was Jiha. And that defying him could lead to who knew what.
Suppressing her tangled emotions, she placed her palms and knees on the floor and prostrated herself.
Like a beast.
"If you had a tail, I'd tell you to wag it, but no such luck. Come to me while swaying your hips lewdly."
"..."
"I won't hit you. Come here."
When Jiha spoke gently but firmly, Pairan lowered her head and approached his feet.
Her ponytail, just barely brushing the floor, swayed pitifully as it dragged.
For a grown, beautiful maiden, a woman who had risen to the rank of Unique through the sword, to crawl on all fours like a beast at the word of a single man was an act of immense shame.
A beautiful swordswoman, swallowing her humiliation, crawling on all fours like an obedient dog following her master's command.
Watching the figure that looked suggestive even fully clothed, Jiha steadied his mind and body.
The hunt was over. It was time to administer reward and punishment to the hound.
'There'll come a day to fight Lowchen again. Until then, I'll tame Pairan thoroughly and use her as my card.'
Lowchen and Pairan were each other's weakness.
But if Pairan came to prioritize Jiha's word over Lowchen's, she would prove immensely useful in the coming second round.
Pairan stopped at Jiha's feet and spoke with difficulty.
"I... I'm here..."
"That wasn't very lewd. You need to sway your hips more, side to side."
At Jiha's words, the tips of Pairan's ears turned bright red.
She was humiliated, her pride was wounded, yet she no longer dared defy Jiha's commands.
Her true nature was that of a hunting dog, a creature that goes and bites where its master directs.
She had a temper, so she hadn't fully accepted Jiha as her master, but she no longer dared to snap at him.
"I don't know how to do that..."
"You shook pretty hard before."
"That's because you just..."
"Ah, you had no choice because I was hitting you?"
Laughing, Jiha reached out and placed his hand on top of Pairan's head. The soft hair tickled his palm.
"Seems you've forgotten already. Want me to hit you again, then?"
"..."
Pairan's face went red, but she couldn't bring herself to try and pull away from Jiha's hand.
Hard to tame, but once tamed, she wouldn't disobey. That was the nature of a hunting dog.
When Pairan lowered her head, trying to stare at the floor, Jiha tickled under her chin. He'd ordered her not to look away, to keep her head up, so she had no choice but to meet his eyes.
A beauty on her hands and knees suppressing her shame with effort as she looked up at him.
When their eyes met, she tried to quickly lower her gaze, but Jiha tickled her chin again, so she didn't know what to do and ended up staring off into the distance.
"Good. That's good enough for today. I'll give you a reward."
Pairan had done her part sufficiently. Capturing Lowchen would have been nice, but he hadn't really expected that much.
"Go to Asira. Go and move alongside her. If anything happens, handle it appropriately."
"..."
When Jiha withdrew his hand from her chin, Pairan blinked, unable to believe it.
A reaction telling him she hadn't expected this kind of order. Jiha smirked.
"What, did you think you'd get some affection? Today's work wasn't enough to warrant that."
"I wasn't expecting that..."
"Then shall I make a special exception and dote on you? If you wag your tail, there's plenty I could do."
"..."
Pairan, realizing Jiha was teasing her, chose silence.
Jiha looked down at Pairan in her all-fours posture and spoke.
"Asira's an excellent commander, but she's troublingly soft-hearted. Well, that's why I have Yura attached to her. But having you, her former adjutant, move together with her will create better synergy. Go and get moving."
"If I go, what about the security here?"
Pairan spoke without thinking.
She also knew that tonight was critical, that someone could target Jiha.
Wasn't Lowchen still somewhere in the city?
He was gravely wounded, so the odds were low, but he might try a mutually assured destruction attack and strike at Jiha again.
Barjet remained, but she was too lacking in combat experience to be reliable.
Jiha smiled.
"Wouldn't it be good for you if I died?"
"That's..."
"Well, if I've come this far and then get killed, Asira would be left adrift too. Go and switch places with Yura."
"..."
Pairan nodded silently and started to rise.
Jiha's expression hardened, and he spoke with an icy edge.
"Did I say you could get up?"
"Uh..."
"I ease up a little, and you act on your own. Do I look easy to you just because I softened up?"
When Jiha suddenly turned harsh, Pairan froze.
Wondering what she'd done wrong, she hurriedly resumed her all-fours position.
"Exit just like that. Go until you're out of my sight."
"..."
Pairan turned away, her expression a mixture of humiliation and distress.
Jiha watched the arch of her back, the seductive line of her hips as she crawled on all fours.
The hem of her skirt had ridden up, and the tantalizing nearly-there glimpse of her underwear was a sight to savor.
"Nice view. Shake your hips."
"..."
Pairan flinched, then awkwardly swayed her hips.
When Jiha watched silently, she trembled all over, tormented by shame, yet still crawled out of the reception room on all fours.
She could no longer defy Jiha.
"Good..."
It had been an exercise to once again imprint their hierarchy onto Pairan.
Releasing the hound while reminding her who held the leash around her neck. The carrot and the stick, used in alternation.
Using Pairan right here to relieve his lust had been another option, but... he'd changed course after thinking it over.
Gashiel was in heat too. He couldn't keep ignoring her. He had to take her into his arms himself.
'It's better to tame Gashiel now anyway.'
The situation had developed this way, so he might as well get what he could out of it.
Jiha rose from his seat.
This city was now his.
Tomorrow, hundreds of thousands of citizens would hail him as their new ruler.
But before that.
It was time to enjoy the angel he'd gotten his hands on tonight.