Chapter 311 New Hierarchy -11
Chapter 311 New Hierarchy -11
Jiha left Waris with a thousand-strong personal army and a thousand dark elves.
He had laid multiple contingencies.
After a day's march, they made camp.
Jiha made a round of the soldiers' resting positions, then lay down beside a campfire and gazed up at the night sky.
Alone.
'According to the scouts, we'll make contact with the elf army tomorrow. We aren't exactly moving covertly, so they'll know I'm coming. In that case...'
As Jiha ran through various scenarios, he heard footsteps.
"May I have a moment?"
"If you want one that badly, go shave your head first."
"Excuse me?"
"Just speak."
Jiha turned and grinned.
The dark elf youth, Daham, looked puzzled for a moment, then began.
"The other day, I failed to recognize you and committed a grave error. I apologize, Chief."
"Is that so?"
It was Daham, the dark elf who'd delivered a lengthy tirade before challenging Jiha.
He had now come seeking him out to apologize. Jiha probed his sincerity.
"You don't think I crushed you with a cheap sneak attack? That a second attempt would end differently?"
"There are no second chances in real combat. Had that been a duel to the death, I would already be dead."
"Hmph..."
Even when left standing at attention and spoken to with open sarcasm, Daham showed little resentment.
When Jiha lifted his gaze, the man was bowing deeply at the waist.
"I ask for your continued guidance and instruction."
"We'll see how you do."
According to his intelligence, Daham was diligent and earnest by nature, and Jiha saw it himself. The way he'd come to apologize and seek instruction after being defeated was sincere... and there was no reason for him to lie about such a thing.
He was the straightforward warrior type.
Someone secretly grinding his teeth or worrying about future threats would be more inclined to flattery.
"The problem with Daham is that he's too serious for his own good. This is exactly the sort of thing you smooth over by offering a drink."
Like this woman here.
Shu, a dark elf maiden who'd been watching the situation nearby, casually inserted herself and sat down next to Jiha. The way she sat while offering him a bottle of liquor was so natural it had clearly been practiced repeatedly.
"Here, Chief. Allow me to pour you a—"
"Who said you could sit?"
"..."
Shu blinked as if she hadn't understood.
She understood and was pretending otherwise, but in a strict hierarchy, even such small gestures required permission.
"Stand up, or I'll make you stand."
"Oh, honestly. Chief, really. A woman swallows her embarrassment to offer you a drink..."
"..."
The hulking Geuban, who'd followed behind her, wordlessly grabbed Shu by the scruff of her neck and hoisted her upright.
"Wait! Don't grab me like that! What do you think you're doing to a lady?!"
"Both of you have no manners in front of the Chief."
"That's enough! Keep that solemn atmosphere to yourself! This is exactly why you're still a bachelor!"
As the three of them bickered, Jiha sat up halfway.
"Could've just had a threesome in the dark. What are you here for?"
"How can you say such things to an unmarried maiden? Chief?"
"I don't know what that is, but if it's an order, I'll carry it out, Chief."
Shu drove an elbow into Daham's ribs and forced a smile.
"Ahaha, you're joking, right? Surely you're not going to give that order?"
"What if I do?"
"...Hehe. Please have mercy."
Shu laughed as she backed down.
It might sound like frivolous talk, but Jiha was the Chief of the Red Union, and when he led an army into the field, he commanded the right of life and death over them. If he ordered them to strip naked and dance, they couldn't refuse.
Jiha studied the three of them and snorted.
"I thought he might show, but Sudaro didn't come."
"Ah, he says he's unwell. Something about poor condition."
"Sudaro gets like that sometimes. Hard to know what he's really thinking."
Daham and Shu both spoke as if this was well-known.
"You all know each other?"
"Of course. Including Enril, the five of us have been acquainted for a long time. Well, we got along fine before that brat Enril... became a Unique and started throwing her weight around."
"No, Enril was like that from the first time I saw her."
So they'd grown up together since childhood?
Enril had gathered information and submitted reports, but she'd omitted her own personal history with these people. Not a deliberate omission; she'd simply judged that it wasn't worth mentioning. People often take the trajectory of their own lives so much for granted that they fail to realize others might find it noteworthy.
"The five of you grew up together since childhood?"
"Yes, we were all leading candidates to become the next clan head of our respective clans. The elders wanted us to build ties early. We just didn't expect Enril to suddenly become a Unique. Still, she got so full of herself after that—her nose stuck so high in the air you wouldn't believe how unpleasant it is."
"Hmm."
So this was how Enril was perceived within dark elf society.
Seeing Jiha's interest, Shu seized the opportunity and launched into a detailed litany.
"She never had the slightest interest in grooming, even back then. All she ever practiced was assassination arts, unarmed combat, and her Special Ability. She's the biggest training maniac among us. Once she became a Unique, she spent years training with her grandfather—you'd see her once every few years if you were lucky. She's become completely distant. Frankly, she's got a rotten personality too."
"Shu, watch your tongue in front of the Chief."
"No, the Chief should know. That girl really grates on you. And yet the popularity she gets. I can't stand to watch it. She just walks by, shaking her hips a little, and every male from boys to old men loses their minds—ugh. This world really isn't fair, is it?"
"You're calculating."
Jiha smiled.
Shu's smiling lips froze.
"What? Calculating what?"
"Here you are, deliberately badmouthing Enril in front of me to gauge my reaction. But just in case, you're careful not to say anything truly damning."
"Wh-what do you mean?"
"Calling her a slut, a fox shaking her tail. That's the kind of insult women dig up when they talk behind someone's back, but you're not using any of it. You're talking while leaving yourself an escape route, aren't you?"
"..."
Shu froze, smile still in place, unable to say a word.
Uncertain of the relationship between Jiha and Enril, Shu had fabricated her chatter to give herself an out no matter which way things went.
Trying to fish for information.
"I can hear the wheels turning. I know you were putting on the friendly act to smooth over having challenged me earlier, so I'll let that pass this time... but I will not forgive you for testing me."
"No, I wasn't—"
"Should I make it true?"
Jiha spoke flatly.
"Do I look like the friendly guy next door?"
"That's not what I— I-I'm sorry!"
Not knowing what to do with herself, Shu scrambled up and fled.
Jiha turned his head to look at Daham and Geuban.
Daham bowed his head once more.
"Please forgive Shu's rudeness, Chief. She's still immature and made a mistake. She was simply too eager to make a good impression on you."
"Fine. I'll overlook it this time."
Jiha changed the subject.
"Has Sudaro always been that sort of man?"
The three before him and Sudaro were fundamentally different.
The earnest youth Daham, the cunning woman Shu, and the taciturn, muscular Geuban had all tasted defeat and acknowledged Jiha as their superior.
But Sudaro had surrendered without a fight, and hadn't voiced a single complaint no matter how Jiha worked him.
'Ten years is not too long to wait for a gentleman's revenge. That one endures today's humiliation and bides his time for tomorrow...'
Daham answered earnestly.
"No. Sudaro is still an intelligent friend, but he used to be brighter. He was the gentle friend who brought together me—too focused on the path ahead to notice my surroundings—the somewhat ill-mannered Shu, the excessively quiet Geuban here, and... the sharp-tempered Enril."
"Gentle?"
"Yes, amiable and sharp-witted. I and the others were greatly aided by his advice on several occasions. Everyone agreed that Sudaro was indispensable for the future of the dark elves."
Geuban nodded his agreement.
'Ah, so it's a living creature after all.'
He'd been suspicious, since the man made no sound of breathing the entire time he'd stood there.
When Jiha was inwardly surprised, Geuban nodded again without a word. As if to confirm Jiha hadn't been mistaken.
Daham spoke.
"This disgraceful situation is not merely a conflict between Sudaro and Enril, but our collective responsibility. I ask that you set aside your anger, Chief, and understand the loyalty of us dark elves."
"You listen well once you've been hit. That's enough."
Jiha replied in an unhurried tone.
"You're curious about whether we're fighting the elves."
"Yes."
That was the real reason Daham had come.
They understood the news that the elves were returning. But to march an army out to meet them... was he planning to engage in combat? Such thoughts were circling among the dark elves.
"The soldiers are all curious, too. No—they're excited."
"Expecting they'll get to fight the elves to the death?"
"We would face any foe under your orders, Chief, but if that foe is an elf, we would risk our lives all the more gladly."
"Well, sure. There will be some blood."
Daham's and Geuban's eyes gleamed.
"Yes, we will gladly sweep them away!"
Faces utterly unable to conceal genuine joy. Jiha waved a hand.
"Just keep in mind: it's going to be different from what you're imagining. Prepare for combat."
"Yes. Then have a good night, Chief."
Geuban also bowed his head and departed. As their footsteps faded, Jiha sank into thought.
'At least those three don't show any ambition. Shu uses her head, but it's all self-preservation, a bit of petty cunning. But Sudaro is different.'
The burns that had disfigured his face—not even healing arts could restore burns to their original state. A searing hatred for Enril, who had done this to him, must be burning inside him. The way he barely reacted no matter how Jiha pressured him showed an uncommon fixation.
'He'll likely make various moves while I'm away. But I've set up thorough countermeasures, and Uben and Lijin should be able to handle any unforeseen situations...'
No matter what scenario he ran, Sudaro couldn't directly harm Enril. Just as the demons couldn't lay a hand on Asira, if Enril—a Unique of the dark elves—were killed, the very status of the race would plummet. By ability alone, it was impossible for a Rare Grade like Sudaro to kill a Unique.
'Alex managed it. So...'
When you factored in Sudaro's reputation for intelligence, several pictures emerged.
'Once I finish this and return, everything should be ready... I'll need to think through a purge.'
Jiha rose and headed for his barracks.
He saw no one. Reaching his barracks, he halted.
"..."
He was the general commander of this army. Naturally, not only the barracks but the entire perimeter should have been carefully posted with guards.
But along the entire approach, he hadn't seen a single one.
And a shadow flickered inside the barracks. Jiha drew his sword without a sound.
'Should I just smash through...'
They probably hadn't come with good intentions. Jiha was about to activate his Special Ability when he checked himself and used Hearing Amplification instead.
The breathing coming from inside the barracks, the sigh of restless anxiety—it sounded familiar...
Jiha entered the barracks silently. The person inside, startled, unleashed a Backspin Blow at him—a sharp elbow arcing toward him the instant she rose.
Having anticipated it, Jiha caught it lightly with his palm and remarked,
"So now it's assassination."
"...Ah."
A golden-haired elf.
Leticia recognized Jiha, her face stunned.