Chapter 86: Acquiring Weapons - 2
Chapter 86: Acquiring Weapons - 2
Jiha nodded at the warning of danger.
"There are plenty of bastards who want me dead. Tell them to take a number and wait in line."
"......Asira will actually try to kill you."
Jiha snorted at that.
"I heard she's a noble knight, even for a demon. So why is she after me? Does she decide who lives or dies based on their face upon first meeting?"
"It's not that......."
As Yura's words trailed off, Jiha put the pieces together.
"She's going to kill me because I slept with you?"
"......."
Her silence was the answer.
Yura was currently subordinated to Jiha.
Until Jiha died, she could only derive pleasure from him.
And she had said before that if this fact became known, those who cared for Yura wouldn't leave Jiha alone.
"Is that subordination thing really that important? Important enough to just take someone's head off over it?"
"......."
Yura hesitated, then shut her mouth.
I guess this subordination isn't simply a matter of sexual pleasure.
After a long pause, Yura shook her head.
"I absolutely don't want Jiha to get hurt. But if Asira finds out, she'll definitely......."
"Then we just hide it, right?"
"......Even if I lie, she'll see through it. Asira knows me very well."
"What's the issue even if she finds out?"
Jiha pointed out the obvious.
"You're a Unique and Asira is a Unique, so what's the problem? If you don't want me to die, can't you just stop Asira yourself?"
"......."
Hesitation appeared on Yura's face.
Back in Korea, close acquaintances might use familiar address terms, but the customs of Warsland were different.
Yura and Asira must have a genuinely unique relationship.
'Then I'll use this chance to pull Yura decisively to my side.'
She would oppose Asira in order to protect Jiha.
Then, naturally, Yura would submit more completely to Jiha's words and actions.
She was already doing so, but this would make it more definite.
Jiha asked abruptly.
"But that woman isn't a succubus, she's a demon. You're different species, so why does she interfere in your business?"
"......A very long time ago, in an era not recorded in history, it's said that succubi branched off from demons. So demons and succubi have maintained close relations."
"Like elves and dark elves?"
"Though our appearances differ a little."
After stating the objective facts, Yura added her subjective experience.
"And Asira grew up with me from childhood and has cherished me. We don't share blood, but...... she is a precious person to me."
"So she won't spare the life of the man who touched precious Yura as he pleases......."
Yura spoke earnestly.
"Um, Jiha. Run away. I've looked into a place where I can hide you. If you leave Waris......."
"Then I'd be dead."
Jiha shook his head.
"If a Common leaves Waris, the Legend personally unleashes a pursuit squad. They never give up until the corpse is confirmed."
In all of history, no Common who escaped Waris had survived for more than three days.
The other Commons knew this, too, which is why they never dared to try leaving Waris.
"But I would protect you......."
"You'd openly rebel against a Legend? Then you'd be in danger, too."
Besides, now wasn't the time to directly oppose the higher-ups.
Jiha spoke calmly.
"So you can't lie to Asira. But you also can't fight her. And after agonizing over it, your conclusion is to tell me to run away? Covering something up doesn't solve the problem. It just makes it invisible, and it's bound to come to light sooner or later."
"......."
"Rather than running away unprepared, I'd rather prepare and face it. Isn't that right?"
When Jiha reasoned it out logically, the color drained from Yura's face.
She knew what he said was right, but she couldn't bring herself to accept it.
Her lips moved soundlessly before she bowed her head deeply, her tail drooping limply along with it.
Jiha spoke calmly.
"First, since Asira is coming, let's confirm the information. Does she happen to have any weaknesses? Interpersonal relations, marital status, lovers, combat ability, past history, secrets, hobbies, etc. Everything."
"She isn't married, and as far as I know, she has never had a lover. Her character is upright, and she is fair and impartial. I don't know her exact combat ability, and to my knowledge, she has never done anything shameful."
"A being without flaws......."
That's impossible.
Warsland is a world of survival of the fittest, where the strong killing the weak causes little to no trouble.
In such a world, she alone is a lofty, noble knight?
Impossible.
Yura insisted strongly.
"Asira is not a bad person. She is genuinely kind, and when it comes to righteous causes, she firmly opposes even the Legend......."
"From the start, killing me on the spot just because you and I got together—is that the act of a just knight? The moment she kills someone out of personal feelings, she's already not a good person, is she?"
"That's......."
Yura hesitated for a long time before speaking carefully.
"Actually, there is something I haven't told you, Jiha. I'm sorry for not telling you sooner, but......."
"Tell me. I'm not going to get angry."
When Jiha prompted her gently, Yura spoke in a low voice.
"......Truthfully, my subordination to Jiha is not fully complete."
"Is that so?"
"Ah, no. I didn't lie to Jiha. But......."
Yura grew flustered and waved her hands.
She seemed afraid that Jiha might suspect her and think poorly of her.
"......As I told you, I can now only derive the pleasures of the night from Jiha. But complete subordination is different."
"What are the conditions?"
"We must pass...... the third night for it to be complete subordination."
So far, Jiha had embraced Yura twice.
But it appeared to be counted by the number of days, not the number of sexual acts.
As Jiha nodded, Yura spoke carefully.
"A succubus who passes the third night with the same man and goes through a certain process is completely subordinated. She can never disobey that man."
"Why?"
"If I am completely subordinated to Jiha, then if Jiha dies...... I die, too."
It meant their lives were shared.
Yura quickly added.
"Even if I die, Jiha won't be harmed."
"Unilateral, huh."
She could only feel pleasure from her partner, and if he died, she would die too.
From a succubus's standpoint, she would never be able to disobey.
Conversely, the man would not suffer a single wound if the succubus died, and he could subjugate the succubus with pleasure.
It was an unbreakable master-servant relationship.
"Ah, I see......."
Yura seemed meek, but she was a succubus Unique.
She possessed combat power equivalent to Enril and Leticia in Warsland and was also a key military asset for Blue Seal.
But Yura becoming completely subordinated to Jiha, who was a mere Common?
That meant if Jiha died, Yura would die as well?
This was absolutely something the succubi, and Blue Seal, would want to prevent.
"Ah, now I understand. That protector of yours intends to kill me beforehand to eliminate the root of the problem."
"......."
Because if Jiha was killed before Yura became completely subordinated, the problem was solved.
That must be why succubi kill the first man they sleep with.
Especially for a Unique like Yura, there would be no choice but to attract meddling from all sides.
That was probably the reason Yura remained a virgin to this day, despite having such a sexy body and a gentle personality.
Jiha spoke calmly.
"So we just need to pass the third night and go through some process, and it's complete subordination?"
"......Yes, but I don't know what that process is. The other succubi wouldn't tell me, either."
Yura looked extremely dispirited.
She was inwardly gauging what Jiha might be thinking.
"But why are you protecting me and going along with this?"
"Pardon?"
"If you do it one more time with me, and things go wrong, you'll be completely subordinated to me and won't know when you might die. Actually, shouldn't you be assisting Asira?"
"I could never do that."
Yura's expression turned serious.
She said she would absolutely never do anything to harm Jiha.
Though when Jiha gazed at her silently, she quickly relaxed her expression and lowered her eyes.
"......."
Truthfully, Yura had a gentle personality and often tried to read Jiha's mood.
Whenever she got embarrassed, she would scurry away and flee.
Jiha thought for a moment before sitting on the bench in the gazebo.
"If there's something you want to say, I'll listen."
"......Well."
Yura hesitated once more, unsure what to do with herself.
But with Asira arriving the day after tomorrow, Yura no longer had the luxury to agonize back and forth like this.
Quickly revealing the full circumstances in detail and persuading Jiha was now the most important thing for her.
In the end, Yura sat beside Jiha and took a breath.
"......Please don't laugh."
"Hahaha."
"......."
"I've done all my laughing for the day, so now talk."
Resting his chin on his hand, Jiha turned to look at her and prompted.
As if nervous anew, Yura gathered her hands on her knees and steadied her breathing.
Following that deep breath, her large, full breasts subtly rose upward and then fell, seizing the man's gaze.
"......I've had my eye on Jiha for a long time now."
"Since when?"
"For a long time. I mean...... not long after Jiha entered the barracks."
Wasn't that right after Jiha was summoned to Warsland and Enril was assigned as his supervisor?
But Jiha had no memory of seeing Yura at that time.
Even looking at her now, Yura was a beauty.
Red hair with a gentle impression and a soft, tender beauty, but in contrast, her chest swelled so provocatively that it caught the eye even from a distance.
Yura shook her head slightly.
"You wouldn't have known then, Jiha. I saw you from afar, you see. Since I can fly...... my eyesight is very good."
"Really? When did you see me?"
"That......."
After some hesitation, Yura spoke cautiously.
"When Enril was angry."
"When she was beating the crap out of me?"
"......."
A nod.
So it was when Enril, dissatisfied that Jiha had surrendered, beat him black and blue like a dog on the hottest day of summer. Yura had witnessed that.
She had watched from far away, so Jiha had been completely unaware.
Jiha scratched his chin as he spoke.
"Ah, I got hit pretty hard, didn't I?"
"Ah, no. Jiha...... you were an amazing person."
"Huh?"
"You tried...... to stab the top of Enril's foot with a rock."
"......."
Being beaten by Enril felt like absolute shit, so he had prepared a counterattack.
He pretended to take the hits before striking back.
He had even prepared a sharp rock in advance.
But the plan had gone up in smoke when Enril unleashed her Mana.
"Ah, that failed and I got hit even more. Did my arm break that time?"
Enraged by Jiha's counterattack, Enril had used more force than usual.
Sirel had seriously protested against it, which put a stop to any more broken bones afterward, though.
"It was a blessing in disguise."
"......Usually, people can't do that. Most men can't even challenge Enril, and even if they do, once they're broken, they hang their heads and avert their eyes."
"Right."
"But Jiha was different."
Yura explained.
Jiha spoke calmly.
"If I gave up and sat on my hands then, it was a situation where I'd really die."
Jiha hadn't seriously expected to subdue Enril with a single rock, either.
It was a signal to show that if she kept brutally crushing him with force, he would snap and go berserk, too.
A warning directed at Enril.
In reality, he had suffered harsh retaliation at the time, but afterward, the severity of Enril's beatings had lessened somewhat.
Because Enril had internally realized that if she pushed him too far, Jiha would strike back.
Yura spoke cautiously.
"Yes, Jiha was never discouraged in any situation, and your eyes remained vividly alive. as if to say, at any time, whenever the chance comes, you would stand against Enril. Enril also realized that, and the times she handled you roughly decreased."
"......."
"In the end, Jiha stood against Enril and won what you wanted. A man like that......."
Yura's voice dropped lower.
Out of embarrassment.
"......was the first I had ever seen."
A succubus's confession.
It was a shy confession that she had fallen for Jiha.