Chapter 306 New Hierarchy -6
Chapter 306 New Hierarchy -6
Asira, Yura, and Pairan each departed for their respective fronts.
Jiha ate a late lunch alone in the Common cafeteria.
Not long ago, the mess hall had been rowdy and full, but with the military reorganization, the Commons had been absorbed into their units. Each had received a rank based on skill and circumstance and was now carrying out their duties.
.......
The Commons who had followed him with loyalty from the start would likely never all gather in this cafeteria for a meal again.
The War of Conquest had begun. Many would die in the days ahead, and the Commons would be no exception.
Jiha closed his eyes and called to mind each of their faces and names.
"What are you doing?"
A sulky voice and the rough clatter of a tray being set down snapped Jiha's eyes open.
Light pink hair. Narsha sat across from him.
"They said you were finally having a meal. What's with the dramatic mood?"
.......
"What? What is it?"
Narsha was being prickly.
Lunch had long since ended for everyone else. This encounter in the cafeteria had to have been arranged after Narsha scrutinized Jiha's schedule.
'Lijin probably told her.'
Narsha acted as if this were a coincidence, but there was no way that was true.
"Did you have some business with me?"
"...Do I need business to eat with you? This is only happening because you forced me to live here. I had no choice."
Narsha spoke sharply, waving her utensils.
"If you truly are my Helper, then you have a duty to make time for me when I'm bored."
"Such a heavy duty; my back's about to break."
"...You have no intention of keeping it anyway."
Narsha grumbled at Jiha's joke.
"What's with that reaction? You should be happier. This means I've fully acknowledged you as my Helper now. Aren't you pleased? Go brag about it to everyone."
"You're lonely."
"...Wh-what?"
Struck in yet another sore spot, Narsha stiffened.
"Wh-who said anything about being lonely...."
"I'm lonely too. If you're bored, follow me while I work."
Narsha hesitated before asking carefully.
"...Is that really all right?"
To varying degrees, all the Uniques were intimidated by Jiha. Even Narsha, who put on a brazen front, was secretly gauging his expression and choosing her words and tone.
Narsha fiddled with her hair, then changed the subject.
"W-well, that aside... do you need anything? A weapon, or something."
.......
"You're going to war. I'll make you something. I've got nothing else to do anyway."
"Do you know exactly what I'm doing?"
Jiha was now the Chief of the Red Union, independent from Blue Seal. Narsha, on the other hand, had originally been a Unique of Blue Seal. Helping him meant actively taking sides—switching factions.
"I know. You're going to smash Blue and Purple and take everything for yourself. Yeah, that's it."
Narsha said it lightly.
"You're my Helper, so I can at least do that much. No, I should do at least that much for you to be worthy of me."
"Don't you hate making weapons?"
.......
Narsha looked startled.
"...How did you know?"
"Since you've taken me as your Helper, I should learn these things in advance."
It was easy to piece together from how she treated her escort guards, the various testimonies around her, and Narsha's personality.
Narsha was a Dirga Unique who made weapons, yet she disliked doing so. More precisely, she was sick of the men and guards who swarmed her seeking nothing but her weapons.
The truth was, her falling out with Lungtao had also been because Narsha had misunderstood, thinking he regarded her as nothing more than a tool to produce excellent weapons.
Narsha possessed the ability to forge weapons surpassing anyone else's, but she detested the way people around her treated her because of it.
"Don't do it if you don't want to."
Jiha would certainly benefit if Narsha made weapons. Weapons for him, weapons for his soldiers—if Narsha crafted them, his army would grow immensely stronger.
But creative work could not be forced. Jiha had come this far by wielding the whip over many and placating them with carrots, yet the final conclusion was always the same.
To conquer, you must conquer people's hearts. Fear and threats inevitably lose their edge over time.
'If I threaten Narsha to force her to make weapons... she's got a foul temper and would just get stubborn, wither away, and break. In the long term, I have to make her want to do it herself.'
Lungtao had also asked him for a favor.
Narsha looked like she couldn't believe him.
"...You really mean don't do it? You need them. I'm not saying I can make a hundred a day, but even a few, given only to unit commanders, would change everything entirely, you know?"
"What do you want in return?"
Her tone implied she wanted payment in exchange for the work.
Narsha gauged his reaction, then nodded.
"Just grant me one thing."
"I'll destroy Ouroboros."
"No, not that. Spare the Queen."
Narsha was asking him to spare someone?
At Jiha's curious look, Narsha spoke.
"The one they call the Snow Queen, I mean. She's a Legend of Blue Seal. The Dirga owe her a great debt from long ago."
She was the Legend who divided power in Blue Seal, the one opposed to Cheonho.
"You're asking me not to kill her?"
Killing or sparing a Legend was on an entirely different scale. She wasn't some trinket in his pocket. Was it really that simple?
Narsha seemed to reach the same thought and shook her head.
"...Just think about it once before you kill her."
"Fine."
Thinking about it once was not difficult.
Narsha averted her gaze.
"All right, then let's hold the festival. If I announce that I'm welcoming you as my Helper, every Dirga in Warsland will flock here. I'll talk to them and set up a weapon workshop. Then, even if it doesn't reach the common soldiers, weapons can be distributed up to the squad commander level. Unit combat power will skyrocket."
"Hmm."
She reeled it off smoothly, as if she'd prepared it in advance, but her delivery was somehow awkward.
As Jiha watched her quietly, Narsha's cheeks began to redden little by little.
"...Wh-what? Why are you just humming to yourself? You're allowed to be happy about it."
"Afraid you'll fall behind the other women?"
Narsha's face flushed bright red.
"N-no, I'm not! I was going to do it eventually anyway! A festival is the best way to gather Dirgas! Those people will travel to the ends of the earth if there's a festival!"
"Want to get a step ahead of the other women?"
.......
Jiha had been with women, but he had no marital ties whatsoever so far. For Jiha, it wasn't a matter of responsibility but of politics. He had intended to completely conquer this world from the start, so marriage was a political issue.
When an emperor marries, in-laws emerge. In-laws try to meddle in politics.
'Eventually, I will have to marry....'
Because an heir was necessary. But he had no intention of doing so before the conquest was finished.
Stung repeatedly where it hurt, Narsha slammed the table.
"I-I said that's not it! We don't even have marriage customs anyway! It's not like I care about that specifically, but you are my Helper...."
"Don't hit the table."
Narsha, who had been throwing a fit, shut her mouth. Jiha spoke gently.
"If you make a mess, you clean it up, right?"
With a dissatisfied expression, Narsha wiped up the spilled salt and set the shaker upright. Before, she would have stuck up her nose and demanded to know why she should have to.
Narsha had changed a great deal.
"...I just want to make things clear."
Narsha spoke in a deflated tone. Her face was full of anxiety.
Jiha had spent one night with Narsha and had not sought her out since. At first, Narsha had been relieved, but gradually, she grew anxious and restless. Once a Dirga chose a Helper, she would take no other man. Narsha had now acknowledged Jiha as her Helper.
The Dirga custom was to hold the festival and then spend the first night with the Helper. But Jiha and Narsha had spent the night first, and Jiha had said not a single word about it.
Narsha was inwardly afraid the matter might just fade away and be forgotten.
Until now, no man had ever found Narsha unnecessary. As a woman, she possessed a charm that was both cute and alluring... and her ability to craft weapons was far too outstanding.
Yet Jiha actually said he didn't need weapons and didn't seek her out as a woman either, leaving Narsha completely adrift.
So after agonizing and pondering, she had brought it up first.
Jiha spoke calmly.
"Don't rush."
"...What?"
"I have no use for a person with no motivation. Even if you do nothing, I won't say a word. I told you from the start: find something you want to do here."
Jiha kept his tone even.
"Whether it's weapons or as a woman, do it when you want to. I won't cast you out for doing nothing."
"...Why do I get special treatment? You don't act this way with the other Uniques, do you?"
Narsha's voice grew sharp.
"Is this because Lungtao asked you? Are you treating me well because of him? Is that it?"
"I won't say Lungtao's request had nothing to do with it. But forcing an unmotivated person only wrecks the work. We're all in this together."
Jiha's tone turned serious.
"Don't misunderstand. Just because Lungtao asked doesn't mean I'll be lenient with you. Letting you stay by my side is the limit. If you say you'll go make weapons for another faction, or if you try to turn your back on me, I'll cut you down. No exceptions, whoever it is."
.......
The words were cold, but Narsha's expression gradually softened.
Narsha's psychology, so accustomed to receiving special treatment, was tangled in complex ways. If someone treated her strictly like everyone else, she would actually comply.
Jiha filed that away and spoke.
"If you're going to work for me, be prepared. I won't tolerate it if you do it half-heartedly and ruin things. If that scares you, don't even start. If you're going to do it, do it properly."
There was a saying—if you doubt someone, don't use them; if you use them, don't doubt them.
This was essential to achieve a great undertaking. Forcing an unwilling or untrustworthy person to work would inevitably lead to disaster.
On a city scale, Jiha could manage it, but when trying to conquer the whole world, if a subordinate harbored other intentions, things would go severely awry.
Hadn't the elves just committed trolling?
Jiha intended to handle things so that nothing like that happened again.
"I am...."
Narsha trailed off, looking troubled, when footsteps sounded from behind.
He turned. It was Uben.
"Commander, news has come in...."
"Report."
It didn't matter that Narsha was listening. At Jiha's command, Uben spoke.
"A dark elf unit has arrived within two hours of Waris. One thousand strong. They are not moving."
"Is that all? They didn't send a messenger either?"
"...Enril Woniak did send word, but it was not an official dispatch. It appears matters have become tangled within the dark elf unit itself."
Jiha reached a decision.
"Tell their leaders to come inside with ten people, including their retinue. Immediately, as soon as they hear this."
"I will relay it, but there is a high chance they won't comply...."
"Then tell them I'll mobilize the army and crush them."
Uben's face hardened. Narsha also looked shocked, but Jiha paid it no mind.
"Merely camping near the city will be seen as harboring hostile intent. Tell them if their leaders haven't come inside by tonight, I will annihilate them."
"...Enril Woniak is also with that unit."
"I'll still do it."
At Jiha's unyielding response, Uben bowed his head and withdrew.
Narsha stared at Jiha with a horrified expression.
"...Are you serious? You'll kill all the dark elves if they don't come to pay respects?"
"They've already defied the campaign plan. Bringing troops and loitering near the main base is an act of provocation that cannot be overlooked. It's more than enough to judge that they hold divided loyalties."
"B-but Enril is there too!"
Narsha spoke urgently. By now, she also knew about Jiha and Enril's relationship.
"This is a public matter. Personal feelings come later."
Jiha's expression didn't waver in the slightest.
He was a ruler who dominated a major power. He had to strictly establish the principle of clear rewards and punishments so that people would fear him yet follow him. No one was exempt.
To begin with, it was Enril's fault for failing to prevent the dark elf army's movement in the first place. Jiha had anticipated this situation to some degree, of course... but if she couldn't handle even this, then she had crossed a line.
At that, Narsha sprang to her feet.
"I'll go!"
"What?"
"I'll go as the messenger to deliver that message to the dark elves! Send me!"
Narsha spoke fervently.
"I'll go and persuade the dark elves. If I, a Unique, act as a mere courier, the dark elves will take the situation seriously and reconsider! Isn't that right? Isn't it?"
.......
As Jiha watched her quietly, Narsha declared resolutely.
"This is what I want to do right now."
"Fine, give it a try."
Now that she had motivation, there was no need to stop her.
This was just the start.
The time to show the newly arrived subordinates what kind of man he was.