Chapter 61: Reaping the Harvest - 14
Chapter 61: Reaping the Harvest - 14
Jiha shook his head.
"There's no table. Why bother with drinks? Let's get to the point."
"You're an impatient human."
"I don't live for centuries like your kind."
Dudinel, hands resting on his knees, nodded.
For a man holding the title of mayor, the lack of a single aide made him a remarkably unpretentious elf.
"You said you came from another world. What do you make of Warsland?"
"I think it's a goddamn crazy place. You're not asking me that expecting a compliment, are you?"
Jiha was incredulous.
The old saying that home is where the heart is only holds true when your life is guaranteed.
"People somehow convince themselves you can survive even in the army. But this place? It's utterly unlivable."
"I share that view."
Jiha frowned at Dudinel's agreement.
Normally, when an outsider badmouths your home turf, you get defensive.
Even if making a living in Korea was tough, hearing some random foreigner badmouth it would still sting.
And yet he agreed.
Jiha probed deeper.
"Normal Grade Elf Dudinel Kamadra. Once the head of the Kamadra Family, who held the right to attend the Elf Council, but you relinquished all those rights when you took office as mayor of Waris centuries ago. Out of respect for his authority, Blue Seal and Purple Liberation refrained from direct clashes in Waris."
"That was a long time ago. You've done your homework."
Of course he had.
"That's just hearsay. I don't know the truth."
"What truth are you referring to?"
"Whether you took the mayor's office voluntarily, or were pushed out."
A complicated smile flickered across Dudinel's lips.
Jiha elaborated, sounding almost bored.
"You're of the generation that witnessed the Thousand-Year War—the total war between Blue and Purple. Did you feel some sense of responsibility from that and want to become a mediator for both factions? Or were you forcibly drafted as a figurehead, a punching bag with no real power? Which is it?"
"It was so long ago, my memory is a bit hazy."
"I'm not particularly interested in the musings of a sidelined old-timer either."
"You don't mince words."
Dudinel could only manage a bitter laugh.
"I can tell you have an angle, but you keep dodging. That's why. Why don't you finally get to the point."
"I don't like the current era."
"In what sense?"
"I consider it a bad era. No, more precisely..."
Dudinel checked once more that they were the only two in the room before continuing.
"I suspect the rulers of Blue and Purple are each pursuing their own agendas, driving the world down this path."
"...Can you be more specific?"
"What do you think caused the Summoning War?"
This old man had seen the dawn of the Summoning War with his own eyes.
Jiha listened closely.
"On the surface, it's a proxy war—a sport-like concept meant to ease direct clashes between the two camps. The pretext is that if war disappeared overnight, they couldn't contain the pent-up energy without releasing it."
"And?"
"Even so, there was no reason to specifically summon beings from other dimensions. They could have simply gathered voluntary participants from both sides."
Jiha paused to think.
He'd been gathering information wherever he could, but he would know far less than Dudinel, who had lived for centuries and once belonged to the elven high echelons.
Being honest was to his advantage.
"I don't know much about summoning. What exactly do you find strange about it?"
"A considerable amount of magic stones goes into summoning each Common. They're extraordinarily rare minerals, far more expensive than gold or silver. During the Thousand-Year War, pitched battles were fought hundreds of times over magic stone veins."
"So it's like oil in this neighborhood. And you're telling me they use such high-value goods to bring in slaves to fight..."
Jiha knew the magic stones needed to summon Commons were expensive.
But he hadn't known just how precious they were specifically, and according to Dudinel, the economics made no sense at all.
"I thought I was at least worth keeping around like a military dog. Turns out I was a much pricier commodity."
That was precisely why even Unique Grade individuals couldn't simply kill a Common on a whim—a Legend Grade being had personally invested costly resources to summon precious slaves from another dimension.
"But to summon them only to make them fight and kill each other—the numbers don't add up. What the hell is it all for?"
"I don't know exactly either... but I have formed a hypothesis over the years. The first: they are repeating summons to bring out something they truly wish to call forth."
"So they have a specific card they want to pull and keep dumping money into the gacha."
Jiha had dabbled in mobile games himself.
They were a decent pastime for a secretary's job, where you never knew when your superior would call—a way to fill the gaps.
"Seeing as they haven't pulled it yet, it must be a pretty damn rare card, and all the Commons that have come out so far are total duds."
"I don't quite grasp the analogy, but it seems roughly correct. And the second is..."
Dudinel lowered his voice further.
"The act of summoning itself holds meaning."
"...What does that mean?"
"It's a hypothesis that regardless of what is summoned, the very act of summoning carries some significance."
"So they're just mindlessly spending without really wanting to pull anything specific. I've heard there are players like that, surprisingly. So then..."
Jiha straightened his posture.
"Isn't this incredibly valuable information? What's your motive for dishing it out so easily to a mere Common like me?"
"I've been watching what you do."
"..."
The way he said it, he knew about the Madrum Tavern Incident too.
As Jiha's brows furrowed, Dudinel shook his head.
"That's a matter entirely unrelated to me. So there's no need to be wary. Quite the opposite—the Rosen Family dislikes me immensely."
Even if he knew the truth of the tavern incident, he had no proof, so he couldn't openly move against Jiha anyway.
But Dudinel's intent remained unreadable.
"Yes, I have lived for centuries as the mayor of this city. As you said, a figurehead with no real power."
"..."
"Everything you said is correct. I was pushed out of the power struggles within the Elf Council. But when I took office in this city, I resolved that since things had come to this, I would be a true mediator for both factions, not a figurehead."
Dudinel sighed.
"But in the end, I changed nothing. And my time is now running out."
"How much time do you have left?"
"Perhaps thirty years now?"
To a human, that would be a long time, but to an elf who lives a thousand years, it meant something else entirely.
"For an elf, that's the time to settle one's life. It's the same for me. The kin who understand my situation are urging me to quit now, hand this work over to someone else, and take it easy."
"And?"
"I don't want to step down like this. No, even if I do step down... I want to change something, even a little."
As fighting spirit flickered across the old man's face, Jiha let out a dry laugh.
"That doesn't sound like something a man who says he's retiring soon should say."
"It's the one wish I have: to end this long life with some satisfaction. I want to see that my efforts were not in vain."
"Why did you choose me?"
Jiha asked quietly.
Dudinel answered.
"Because you stopped the Summoning War."
"..."
"You are no ordinary Common with Mana. Anyone who gained that kind of power would try to live a little better as a Common or aim for a grade promotion. With the rarity of being the first Common to possess Mana and your resourcefulness, becoming a Normal wouldn't have been difficult."
Dudinel smiled.
"But instead of doing that, you're rallying the Commons and plotting the next move. You're probably aiming to change this world drastically."
"What help can you offer?"
"I will help with everything within my power."
Jiha paused to think.
"There will be a lot of blood. Can you accept that?"
"I have watched countless lives fall."
"Can you turn a blind eye even if it's the blood of your own kin?"
At Jiha's words, Dudinel heaved a troubled sigh.
After a long pause, he gave a slow, troubled shake of his head.
"The elves are walking a wrong path now. The virtues of harmony and moderation have vanished, and those who covet only familial power and gain are in the ascendance. I too was once among their number... but after being pushed out and living in this city, I realized it was all meaningless."
"A fight among frogs in a well?"
"Yes. Inside the Council, they struggle madly for their family to rise just a bit higher, and within the Purple camp, the elven race concocts all manner of schemes to seize the initiative. They don't try to set a wrong world right; they only seek to profit from it."
"A rotten little society."
Having just watched Galak parry with Leticia, it was obvious elves prioritized their own logic—customs from centuries past.
"I love my people, but I am ashamed of them. And I wish for them not to walk the wrong path. If sacrifice is needed for that... there is no helping it."
Jiha considered for a moment, then nodded.
"If you're truly resolved, I'll accept."
Dudinel wanted to change elven society, and by extension Warsland, but he lacked both time and ability.
So he decided to find someone to take his place and back them.
"But before I give you my full support, I have one condition."
"You mean to test me."
Dudinel might lack real power, but he commanded Waris's administrators and security officers.
The personnel running this border city were his hands and feet.
Mostly Normal Grade, but not to be underestimated.
Administrative manpower to handle supply, rest, and various miscellaneous tasks was essential for any organization.
If Jiha could use them, it would be tremendously useful.
Dudinel spoke.
"Resolve this current situation cleanly."
"My methods are rough."
"The method is free, but ensure that Blue Seal and Purple Liberation reach a mutual understanding and do not plunge into all-out war. If you do that, I will fully trust you and provide economic and political support."
After thinking for a moment, Jiha nodded.
"Alright."
Finishing his discussion with Dudinel, Jiha stepped outside.
Rugin, Garaon, and Lijin were waiting in the hallway.
"Captain, is the talk over?"
"Yeah, just a moment..."
Jiha thought for a second.
If he handled this matter well, he could secure Dudinel's support.
Effectively, the city's administrative foundation would fall into his hands.
He could pressure Enril of Blue and Leticia of Purple respectively, forcing them to negotiate.
But if he did, that idiot Galak and his band of elves would kick up a ruckus.
'I'll have to sweep all those bastards away while making sure Purple can't protest.'
As Jiha formulated his plan, Leticia appeared with a drink in hand.
She immediately scowled and snapped at them.
"I can't stand the sight of you fur-shedding mongrels, so get the hell out this instant."
"Didn't you say you don't have fur down there?"
When Garaon retorted, Leticia's face flushed crimson and she glared at Jiha as if she wanted to murder him.
Garaon was simply recalling a previous conversation, but Leticia mistakenly thought Jiha had told his subordinates about last night.
"Garaon, you're mistaken."
"Huh? But boss, you said so before."
"I was misinformed. I confirmed it..."
"Youuuuuu!!!"
Leticia howled, bouncing with fury.
If they weren't in City Hall, she looked ready to pounce on him immediately.
"A screaming woman only looks cute in bed. That's enough..."
Since Leticia couldn't possibly attack him, Jiha completely ignored her.
If she threw a fit in City Hall, it would be an insult to Mayor Dudinel's authority.
Leticia, who even used respectful speech towards him as an elder, would never do that.
"First, I'll hand out assignments one by one. And..."
Jiha beckoned to Leticia, who was standing apart from them.
"You come and listen too."
"...Why should I listen to the likes of you, a human?"
Leticia snapped back sharply, like a hissing wildcat.
"Because listening is more beneficial for you. I'm not going to repeat such an obvious thing again."
"Speak. I might listen, depending on what it is."
As Leticia arrogantly thrust her chin up and preened, Jiha frowned.
They were in front of his subordinates.
Leticia was probably acting tough because she was conscious of the others watching... but that was still unacceptable.
"I warned you to think before you speak, but you ignored it."
When a wildcat gets cheeky, you have to teach it.
Who the tiger is.