Chapter 40: Sowing Seeds - 3
Chapter 40: Sowing Seeds - 3
Leticia stared in horror at the wrecked interior and the dead elves.
Her gaze snapped to Pamin and his companion.
"...What is the meaning of this, Pamin?"
"Lady Leticia. How did you come to be here...?"
"I asked what happened."
Rage radiated from Leticia, a fury that reached the top of her head.
The anger of a Unique Grade being silenced everyone in the room.
Jiha, however, let out a whistle.
"..."
The mocking whistle lit a green fire of resentment in Leticia's eyes.
Jiha just shrugged.
"The bitch whose only asset is her legs finally showed up late. Let's start cleaning this up."
"...Explain yourself, human."
The air in the room chilled.
Pamin, his comrade, and the Kobold Deubang were so tense under the Unique Grade's fury they could barely breathe.
But Jiha wasn't the least bit intimidated.
He had subdued Enril back when he had nothing.
Now that he'd built up a decent amount of strength, why would he be scared just because this green elf girl threw a tantrum?
Jiha flicked the blood off his blade a few times and then held it out to Deubang.
Once Deubang, in a daze, had taken it, Jiha spoke smoothly.
"There was an argument in a tavern over a serving wench. A quarrel started because he took a liking to the woman sitting next to me and tried to drag her over to his side. It's a common story, but this time it escalated into a gruesome, bloody mess."
"...What?"
"Between your elves and my subordinates. A very sad affair."
Leticia wore a blank expression.
Jiha wrapped up his explanation.
"So a fight broke out, and a few of your elves and some of my men ended up dead. Now we have to deal with the aftermath."
Pamin, at this absurd tale, burst out urgently.
"W-what nonsense! It's a blatant lie! Lady Leticia!"
"That's right! We never...!"
"Shut up."
Leticia cut them off with clear irritation.
She was too busy glaring daggers at the man standing before her, Jiha, to care about their babble.
"...I saw bodies on the way here. So, your claim is that Blue Seal Commons, a Kobold and a Goblin, got into a fight with two Rare Grade elves and killed them?"
"My subordinates are remarkably competent. Deubang, you did splendidly."
"..."
At Jiha's praise, Deubang turned pallid and couldn't find his next words.
He couldn't judge what reply would be to his own advantage.
Leticia, who had been weighing the situation, gritted her teeth.
"Lady Leticia, it isn't so. We were not...!"
"I told you to shut it!"
Leticia trembled and yelled at Pamin's attempted explanation.
Her intent to kill him, betrothed or not, froze Pamin solid.
Leticia lashed out in fury.
"My betrothed, skulking around a filthy place like this? How utterly repulsive!"
"Wh-what..."
Pamin choked on his words.
He wanted to explain that it wasn't true, that he hadn't come to meet a woman but had come to kill Jiha and things had gone wrong.
Jiha sneered at Pamin.
"If I were you, I wouldn't say another word. It wouldn't do you any good."
"You, you son of a bitch, really...!"
"The truth isn't really what matters. If this gets out, how will people see Leticia?"
Pamin's face stiffened.
He had been solely absorbed in his own plan to kill Jiha.
He had simply chosen a tavern that offered sexual entertainment as the stage to lure Jiha in.
But what if that failed?
What if others discovered Pamin had been frequenting this sort of establishment?
Combined with his status as a man who had been betrothed for a hundred years without even being promoted to Super Rare Grade, what would the world think?
"..."
They would think he couldn't bear the neglect of his betrothed, Leticia, and had gone looking for other women to sate his lust.
And there would be all sorts of slanderous whispers about Leticia herself as well.
This was precisely why Leticia was now incandescent with rage.
Honor.
Her own honor, that of a Unique Grade, noble High Elf, was about to be smeared with filth by her idiotic betrothed.
Pamin, realizing the situation far too late, stepped forward and spoke with fervent urgency.
"N-no, you misunderstand. Lady Leticia. If only you could dispel your misunderstanding..."
Smack!
Pamin, mid-plea, was sent sprawling.
Leticia, at the limit of her patience, slapped him across the face.
She gnashed her teeth at the sight of her ugly, sprawling betrothed.
"I swear I'm going to want to kill you, so for the love of all, shut up. Because I'm about to go insane right now."
"..."
Pamin lay collapsed, trembling uncontrollably.
He had schemed to restore his honor, and now he could not accept this reality, being struck by his betrothed in front of everyone.
Jiha was impressed.
"Wow, she's a real scorching bitch."
"..."
Leticia whipped her head around at the insulting remark.
Her eyes asked if he was the next target, but Jiha just gave a cynical smirk.
"You were thinking about murder and erasing the evidence just now, weren't you? Best not even try it."
Yura, who had been watching, hesitated then positioned herself behind Jiha.
Following Jiha's instructions, she had met Leticia and, claiming to have important information, had led her to this tavern.
The unfolding situation was complicated, but she was resolved to intervene if Jiha was endangered.
"..."
Leticia turned a savage glare on Jiha and Yura, but she could do nothing but tremble.
Yura was also a Unique Grade; she wasn't an opponent to face carelessly.
No, even if she won, the aftermath would be unmanageable.
For her, a Purple Unique, to attack Yura, a Blue Unique, would be to plunge them straight into full-scale war.
"...Name your solution."
"Huh? What? What are you suddenly talking about?"
"...If you've manufactured this sordid scene, you must have a desired resolution in mind."
Leticia ground her teeth.
From the start, she had been told Yura had something to tell her and had come to this tavern completely unaware of what awaited her.
The fact that her betrothed was here was preposterous, but what truly mattered was that this situation must not become known outside.
She had to avoid, at all costs, the staining of elven honor, of her own honor as a High Elf.
Jiha tilted his head with a sly, feigned curiosity.
"Well, I do have something in mind, but why are you speaking as if you're ordering a subordinate around?"
"What?"
"Guess you still don't realize who's in the position of having to ask for a favor?"
Leticia's face flushed with fury.
In her long elven life, such an infuriating event was surely rare.
Just as she was about to explode with rage, Jiha raised his index finger and placed it before his lips.
At the gesture for silence, Leticia, who had been about to speak, faltered.
And not just her, but every single person in the room.
The master of this stage was Jiha.
Even the mending of this debacle was now at his whim.
Having quelled the entire assembly with a single gesture, Jiha grinned and thrust his finger forward.
Squish.
Jiha's finger dug into the voluminous swell of Leticia's breast.
"..."
Leticia stared blankly down at his finger.
She simply could not believe that a human male had poked her breast.
The perfect size, filling the hand with just a bit to spare—the moment he pressed, it gave way, springing back with outstanding elasticity.
Jiha smiled as he pressed his finger into the firm, yielding softness.
"If you're going to ask someone for a favor, you should do it properly. Why give orders?"
"You, you bastard...!"
"Oh, she's mad. Oh, I'm so scared."
Jiha prodded the enraged elf's breast again and again, his mockery clear.
The pressure was such that Leticia felt like her head was about to burst.
Born a noble High Elf among elves, risen to the Unique Grade before whom countless beings bow their heads—she had never wanted to kill someone this badly.
She was ready to do anything if only she could kill this man right now.
"M-Mister Jiha..."
But Yura, a Blue Unique, was here.
If Leticia tried to kill Jiha, Yura would surely intervene.
Just as she would if their positions were reversed.
Even if she somehow sliced Jiha's throat, she would be unable to clean up this incident with its mass casualties.
This dishonorable scene would become known to everyone in Warsland.
Leticia shot Yura a pleading look that screamed, "For the love of god, do something about this madman," but the succubus only had eyes for Jiha.
When Leticia just stood there trembling, Jiha mocked her.
"Not saying anything? Does having your tits groped actually get you off?"
"Th-that..."
She had to endure being molested and verbally ridiculed right in front of everyone.
Leticia felt like she wanted to faint.
Her feet felt like they were floating, her vision spinning dizzily.
"If you like it, say so. There are plenty of rooms here. I might even be willing to entertain you right now."
Now, Jiha was outright massaging Leticia's breast.
Even through the dual defenses of her outer garment and underwear, he could clearly feel the elasticity that clung snugly to his hand.
A truly mouthwatering breast, the more he touched it.
Though Jiha lecherously kneaded her breast, Leticia failed to react.
Her mind just kept spinning at the situation—the shame, the rage, the fact that she could do absolutely nothing as this lowly human male violated her chest, a place she had never permitted anyone to touch.
A tearing shout rang out.
"You son of a bitch!"
Pamin, who had been lying dazed after being hit, finally managed to rise and threw himself at Jiha.
But Jiha, who had been prepared, immediately slammed his fist into Pamin's face.
Floundering from the psychological shock of Leticia's blow and a blinding rage, Pamin was struck helplessly.
Crack!
His nose, once broken before, shattered again, and Pamin staggered back with a scream.
But Jiha refused to let him fall. Grabbing him by the hair with one hand, he kept pummeling Pamin's face with the other.
"Gurgh! Argh! Gyaaagh!"
Pamin let out a pitiful scream, vainly twisting his head left and right, but Jiha continued to drive his fist in with cold indifference.
A fist charged with Mana struck Pamin's face again and again. Blood sprayed, teeth snapped.
Still, Jiha did not stop.
The hand that had just been kneading the betrothed's breast now shattered the betrothed's face.
"Grrrk. Grrrgh."
Pamin's screams subsided into the groan of bloody froth.
His face was a mask of blood, unable to even open his eyes properly, yet Jiha continued to beat him in silence.
"Stop! Stop it!"
Leticia, who had been standing in a daze, shrieked.
When Jiha glanced back, Leticia just stared at the floor and said,
"I-I get it. I'll ask... a favor. So please..."
Thwack!
Jiha ignored her and struck Pamin one more time.
Her betrothed, now unconscious, dangled like a doll.
His handsome face was utterly ruined, impossible to distinguish any former shape.
It was questionable whether even a Healing Art could restore it.
"I'm asking you! Please!"
"..."
Jiha stopped his hand and looked at Leticia.
Leticia admitted to herself that she had to endure.
"C-clean up this situation... please."
"Do I look like the bad guy to you?"
Jiha smiled.
"Do I look like some guy who hits people and gropes women for no reason? Am I the crazy one? The villain?"
"..."
"Murder is fine, but assault isn't? Is that Warsland law, or are you spouting shit as it suits you? Which is it?"
If Jiha hadn't been prepared for Pamin's attack in advance, he'd already be dead.
Jiha asked again.
"So, whose fault is it now?"
"..."
Leticia bit her lip as she gazed with bitter resentment at the face of her now-unconscious betrothed.
"It... it was my fault..."
Pamin was the one in the wrong, but what Jiha wanted now was for Leticia to bow her head.
She had to accept it.
"Is that so? If you have the will to clean this up, then get on with it."
Jiha gestured with his chin toward the male elf whose name he still didn't know.
Pamin's comrade, the sole survivor of the attack, went rigid with a blank expression.
Jiha gave Leticia an order.
"If you truly want to settle this, then you kill him yourself."
Once you've seized an enemy's weakness, drag them through the mud until they're completely buried.
So they can never rise again.