Chapter 294 Independence -23
Chapter 294 Independence -23
The mansion, having changed owners overnight, lay quiet.
Jiha headed straight for Gashiel's bedroom without hesitation. He opened the unlocked door and stepped inside, and Gashiel spun around in shock.
Seated on the bed, she struggled to keep her expression composed.
"State the situation, Human Male Common."
"I'm so fucking horny I could burst."
"What in the world is that supposed to..."
Gashiel didn't catch on right away, but the moment Jiha thrust his hips forward slightly, a deep flush spread across her face.
Flustered, she pulled herself together and put on a prim expression.
"Go outside and deal with that. We'll talk afterward."
"If I was going to do that, why would I have come here?"
Jiha sat on the edge of the bed without a moment's hesitation.
Gashiel, who was seated in the very center, furrowed her brow with exquisite disdain. It was the reaction of a delicately raised young lady.
'A noble lady who sees me as a barbarian...'
She didn't need to voice her displeasure. She simply turned her head, as though she had just witnessed something filthy and vulgar, conveying it with natural elegance.
An ordinary man, faced with such a reaction from a beautiful platinum-haired angel, would have had his heart scorched and fallen to his knees in apology.
'No, she should still be in heat right now.'
Jiha studied Gashiel's face quietly.
A rosy flush lingered on her pale skin, and a faint trickle of sweat still ran down. She was definitely still aroused.
Suppressing her body's excitement, Gashiel spoke with authority.
"The sin of killing a celestial is truly worthy of death, but your merit in saving me shall substitute for it. I will not hold you accountable for that matter."
"Right from the start, you're talking bullshit."
Jiha tsked, but Gashiel ignored him.
She seemed to have settled on a magnanimous approach—an uneducated barbarian acts that way, so a learned person like myself must be patient.
That was exactly how her elegant, dignified, and authoritative attitude came across.
"I will permit you to report on the current situation, Human Male Common."
"I'm pissed off because I'm horny. If you keep spouting bullshit, you're going to be in serious trouble tonight. Report complete."
"..."
As if she could no longer ignore him, Gashiel's expression stiffened. Jiha sneered.
"If you want information, you go first. Why were you in that sorry state?"
"There were circumstances."
"Circumstances are for men to have."
"..."
Gashiel, who didn't catch his meaning right away, frowned as her face turned redder.
"You are far too vulgar. I simply cannot tolerate this. Where is your supervisor, Enril? Treating me this way violates all decency, even if we belong to different camps."
"...Your information is seriously outdated."
Jiha shook his head.
After Jiha became the King of Slaves and fought through battle after battle to arrive here, Gashiel had been trapped motionless inside ice, completely unaware of how the world had changed.
"Are you part of Ouroboros?"
"...I was in the middle of investigating that."
Gashiel hesitated for a moment, then revealed this.
She had decided that Jiha, who had rescued her, must already hold a certain amount of information.
"The reason I suddenly proposed an armistice in the Summoning War was to investigate after obtaining a lead on Ouroboros."
"Did you think I was a string tied to Ouroboros, so you wanted to buy time at first?"
"Initially, I considered that possibility, but I soon realized it wasn't the case. And then... I discovered that Alex was suspicious."
The armistice Gashiel proposed—people had jumped to the conclusion that she did it because the game was up the moment Jiha, a Mana-wielding Common, appeared.
But Gashiel had a different motive: her aim was to investigate Ouroboros.
"So you found out your brother was an executive, pressed him over it, and got yourself imprisoned? Even though you're a Unique?"
"...I intended to interrogate him quietly."
Gashiel framed it as an excuse, but it was clearly her mistake.
She'd been investigating a secret society toppling the world, only to discover a member of her own family was part of it—a high-ranking executive at that. It was understandable that she'd be shaken.
So, without notifying anyone else, she tried a one-on-one conversation with Alex and fell straight into his trap.
That was the truth behind Gashiel's long disappearance.
"You're a girl who grew up sheltered."
"You are being persistently rude. I chose to offset your crimes with your merits; I have no recollection of granting you permission to be disrespectful. Human Male Common."
"Oh, is that so?"
At this point, he was genuinely curious to see just how far she'd push her insolence.
Amused and dumbfounded at the same time, Jiha stared directly at Gashiel.
"How much does Purple know?"
"Do you think I would tell you, a Common from Blue Seal?"
"So that's why you specifically chose an armistice. To let me move freely."
Jiha guessed and smiled.
Gashiel flinched.
"Excuse me?"
"If you'd suspected I was an Ouroboros member, you could've just eliminated me. But you only investigated me from a distance. You left me to move around so you could use me to grab the organization's tail."
That was why Gashiel deliberately chose an armistice and stood by watching.
'So Purple doesn't know much either.'
As Jiha organized his thoughts, Gashiel looked somewhat surprised.
"You're quick-witted for a Human Male Common."
"How long are you planning to call me that?"
"Then what should I call you?"
Gashiel wore a genuinely puzzled expression.
It wasn't a provocation or an argument. Her tone suggested she truly believed it was the correct form of address.
"I've never heard a precedent for it, but perhaps you've earned great merits and ascended to a Normal Grade? In that case, I shall correct myself. Human Male Normal."
"Wow, I got a promotion? I'm so grateful I might cry."
There was no malice in her words, but she looked down on people with such brazen confidence.
It was the mindset of a young lady who had been precious since birth.
"Enough chitchat. Start stripping. You're annoying me."
"Excuse me?"
Gashiel looked genuinely incredulous.
It was the reaction of a person who'd just been told to undress by a monkey.
"Ah, you want to do it with your clothes on? Fine. I'll respect your tastes."
As Jiha drew closer, Gashiel hastily retreated. But she was on the bed, and she was soon cornered against the headboard.
"Wait, what do you think you're doing?! Human Male Normal!"
"You'll find out once you experience it."
He had no intention of bickering with a young lady.
Jiha threw off his clothes without hesitation.
The cock that had been erect for over an hour bobbed angrily at the open air.
"Ah, kyaa, aaaaah..."
Gashiel's eyes went perfectly round as she screamed, then she quickly covered her mouth with both hands.
A reaction driven by fear that someone might hear. Even in this situation, she was worried about saving face.
And yet, her golden eyes held a mix of immense fear and a tiny spark of curiosity.
Her detachment from reality was as absurd as it was endearing.
"First time seeing a man's goods?"
"Ah, no. I've seen my brother's before. But it wasn't that big. No, that's not the point..."
Gashiel was flustered and rambling. Her face bright red, she didn't know what to do with herself and spoke hastily.
"G-get dressed right now! It's indecent!"
"Why would I have undressed if I was going to get dressed?"
"Th-that's..."
Gashiel hemmed and hawed before shaking her head and squeezing her eyes shut.
She pressed her thighs together, sat on her knees, and straightened her back. With her delicate fists resting lightly on her thighs, she looked exactly as if she were entering Zen meditation.
"No matter how much a human male lacks etiquette, there are limits to such filth. It is the ordained duty of every living being to suppress desire and seek the righteous path according to reason. If you overlook that, you can never find the true—kyaaaaa!!"
As Gashiel was preaching, Jiha pressed his cock firmly against her cheek. She screamed and immediately ducked her head.
Gashiel added to this by pulling her white wings forward to cover her face entirely. It was the reaction of a pheasant who thinks everything is solved if it just buries its head in a bush.
"Y-you're out of your mind! You've lost your senses! Quickly, call someone else! I absolutely cannot talk to you!"
"I'll rip your wings off."
"..."
"Open them."
When Jiha didn't stop at words and grabbed her wing, Gashiel finally parted the wings that had been covering her body.
Her face was deeply frightened. She'd finally realized on a visceral level that her words and authority held no sway here.
Yet when their eyes met, she still struggled to recover some of her dignity.
"Th-there are limits even to indecency. Even if you are uncouth..."
"How many people died because of your brother?"
"..."
"While you were being a fool trapped in ice and living carefree, your brother, a high-ranking Ouroboros executive, ran wild using the Mana he stole from you. Countless people died because of it. Do I look like I'm lying right now?"
Gashiel's face, which had been tense in front of the naked man, hardened.
"And now you're lecturing me about decency, when I'm the one who solved the situation and saved you? Do you know the phrase 'the pot calling the kettle black'?"
"...I already said we would account for those deeds as merit. That is why I declared I wouldn't hold you accountable for killing a celestial. Human Male Normal."
"That was kind of cute at first, but I'm sick of it now."
When Jiha leaned forward and extended his hand, Gashiel tried to block him with her wings again.
Not interested in a repeated struggle, Jiha said curtly.
"I got horny because of you, so take responsibility."
"That's the most absurd..."
Gashiel was dumbfounded, but Jiha wasn't making an excuse. He meant it.
He hadn't planned on sleeping with a woman tonight in the first place.
Even though he'd successfully completed his plan, he couldn't be sure what sudden situations might arise, so he wanted to stay at his post and receive frequent reports.
It was definitely Gashiel's blood that was preventing his erection from subsiding.
"Fine. If you can't take responsibility, I'll make you."
As Jiha moved to grab a fistful of her hair, Gashiel spoke urgently.
"W-wait a moment. I understand. I understand."
"Understand what?"
"...You want a reward. I see. First, calm yourself."
Her tone was half placating, half pleading. Jiha stopped his hand and looked down at her.
Gashiel spoke, making a visible effort to stay composed.
"S-so... you want satisfaction, isn't that it? I'm not entirely unfamiliar with the concept. I know about it. Though I have no experience... While it's an incredibly rare case for a celestial like myself to receive help from a human male, it's not without precedent."
"And?"
"First, have a seat."
When Gashiel took his hand and urged him, Jiha sat facing her.
Since he sat cross-legged, Jiha's member still stood hideously erect.
Gashiel, seated formally in front of him, involuntarily glanced at it before hurriedly averting her gaze.
"I-I will grant you special permission."
"You're being awfully compliant, aren't you?"
He'd expected more resistance. This was unexpected from Jiha's perspective.
Was she too in heat herself to hold back?
But Gashiel's answer was not what he anticipated.
"I just need to use my hands, correct? I am aware of that. In exchange, you must never tell anyone about this. If anyone finds out, all celestials will hold you accountable for your sins."
"What, so a handjob?"
Jiha laughed in sheer disbelief.
With prey to devour right before his eyes, did she think a man would compromise for something like that?
Maybe some men would be satisfied, but Jiha was not one of them.
"...I don't know if that's what you call it. But it won't be a problem."
As Gashiel spoke, struggling to maintain her elegance, Jiha sneered.
"Where'd you pick up that knowledge? Stuck inside the ice, did Alex give you a demonstration?"
"..."
Gashiel's face turned crimson.
She hadn't known how the world was turning, but it seemed she'd still been conscious inside the ice.
And Alex, looking at his imprisoned sister...
Even the usually unflappable Jiha was at a loss for words.
"Ah, whatever... If you're so confident, go ahead and try."
"..."
Gashiel didn't answer right away. She hesitated.
She'd only said it to calm him down when it looked like Jiha was seriously about to pounce, but now that she had to do it, she couldn't muster the courage.
Jiha spoke calmly.
"I'll give you five minutes. If it passes, brace yourself."
The hesitant Gashiel reached out her delicate hand toward the male organ that was surging straight up as if to pierce the sky.
Her soft hand grasped the rigid shaft that was its polar opposite with extreme caution.
Truly, the benevolent touch of an angel.
But the barbarian had absolutely no intention of ending tonight with just her hands.