Chapter 99: Acquiring Weapons - 15
Chapter 99: Acquiring Weapons - 15
Time had passed since he'd bitten Lijin.
He'd never left someone alone this long after Bloodsucking.
She might have lost consciousness. In the worst case, she could be dead.
Jiha quickened his pace, unlocked the door, and stepped inside.
"......."
Lijin, sitting demurely on the bed, stared blankly at him as he entered.
She was still in her formal attire. A shirt button had flown off, exposing her cleavage.
Under his gaze, Lijin raised her arms to cover her chest and gave a quiet greeting.
"Welcome back, Jiha......."
Jiha closed and locked the door behind him, surveying the room.
The state of the room was drastically different from before.
The curtains were drawn, and her clothes, books, and documents had been neatly organized.
It looked meticulously tidied up.
Lijin hesitated, then bowed her head again.
"......I'm sorry. I know it's not polite, but I can't stand up right away."
"......."
A closer look revealed that her hands, pressing against the bed, were trembling faintly.
She had been suppressing her heat with truly superhuman endurance.
'I knew she had patience, but I didn't expect her to clean the room, too.'
Jiha had considerable patience and endurance himself, but he couldn't help being impressed by Lijin right now.
Even Enril and Leticia hadn't been able to hold out.
Jiha asked calmly,
"What will you do?"
"......Pardon?"
"You must have done a lot of thinking while you waited."
Until now, Jiha had only used Bloodsucking after setting a goal and following a series of steps.
This time, it had been no different from his hand slipping.
Thanks to that, he'd caught Kamain by the scruff of the neck, and the subsequent situation was now his to design as he pleased. But—
'Now that I've bitten her, I can't let Lijin go.'
Information about his vampiric Mana aside, Lijin simply knew too much already.
It had started as a simple employment relationship, but her eager, clever nature had led to this.
"I'm giving you a choice, so listen carefully."
"......."
He was well aware that Lijin harbored some fondness for him. She possessed no combat ability whatsoever, yet she'd followed him after witnessing his trail of blood, violence, intrigue, and domination.
She wasn't a Common slave, nor a Unique tamed by him. She was a Normal, free to live her own life, and still she wanted to follow Jiha.
People aren't fools. Only an idiot on the endangered species list would see the look in the eyes of someone who likes him and think, 'Surely she doesn't like me.'
Jiha drove the point home.
"If you follow me, there's no turning back. Consider this a warning."
"......."
"We can't break up and get back together like an ordinary couple. Once this starts, it goes all the way, and I won't let you go gently. So think it over carefully."
Jiha had molded his followers into a vertical hierarchy.
Those who acted according to his orders received rewards and satisfaction. Those who resisted or challenged his authority were disciplined until they came to their senses. If they still couldn't, he cast them out. If they knew too much, he had no choice but to kill them.
No matter who it was.
Power was ruthless and held no exceptions. As a former secretary to someone in high office, Jiha knew this in his bones.
"A smart girl like you should understand what I'm saying."
"......."
Lijin closed her eyes and sighed.
Even in heat after being bitten by Jiha, her graceful poise was admirable. In terms of sheer mental fortitude alone, she might be the strongest of all his followers.
"I understand. However...... I have a condition of my own."
"Let's hear it."
Even though Jiha hadn't explained it, Lijin was aware that her body now craved a man. She had been completely unable to resist his touch earlier, and she had braced herself mentally while waiting.
"You're being so cold."
"Thanks for the compliment."
When he reflexively snarked, Lijin shot him a reproachful look.
Jiha found himself laughing. Lijin, who was always so amiable, was openly defying him. Still, she'd straighten out her attitude soon enough.
"I know...... that's how men are. I'll admit it's effective for what you're trying to do, Jiha."
"So?"
"But still, sometimes...... you should be affectionate."
"I already am."
Lijin was sharp, but she didn't know what happened after Jiha and his women became deeply involved. Did he overwhelm Enril, Yura, and Leticia, and so they kept following him? Maybe. Maybe not. Ultimately, what Jiha intended was to overturn all of Warsland by force.
'At some point, they might get scared and try to break away, or have a change of heart...... Even if they're tamed, I can't guarantee it's permanent.'
First, he established a rigid, vertical superior-subordinate relationship. Then, in private moments, he loosened the reins. By repeating that, the women eventually opened their hearts and followed him genuinely.
Lijin spoke.
"Just a moment ago, you were too......."
"Touching your breasts and groping your ass?"
"......."
"Or slipping my hand between your legs?"
Lijin's face flushed as she realized he was teasing her. Normally she would have responded with composure, but right now she was aroused, and on top of that, what was about to happen was clear.
Jiha smiled.
"Did you assume I'm some ice-cold, merciless bastard and that's why you defended Leticia so much?"
"......Yes."
"You'll find out soon enough that's not all there is to it."
If a man simply enjoyed women as bedmates or playthings, he could afford to be cold. But Warsland was a world of female superiority and male inferiority. Jiha's women were workers who each had to play a role in his organization. So, he needed to form bonds and guide them well.
'Of course, I might get attached in the process and cloud my judgment. It happened back on Earth, too. I need to think things through and make sure I don't fail this time.......'
Lijin pressed her trembling hands against the bed and, with excruciating slowness, stood up. Her legs, wrapped in black stockings, were shaking so badly it was an ugly sight.
"Then let me help you with that."
"How?"
"In cases like Lady Leticia earlier, please give me the authority to be involved."
"That sounds like you're telling me you'll meddle in my relationships with women. Interfere in every little thing I do."
"I'm asking for permission in advance because you could take it that way."
"Why do you want that?"
He understood Lijin was capable in her own way. He just didn't understand why she wanted to involve herself in such a sensitive area.
Lijin spoke in a strained voice.
"I want to stay by your side, Jiha."
"......."
"But unlike the others, it's difficult for me to give you direct help."
Lijin had no direct combat ability. She was a Normal, unable to use Mana itself, nor was she a species with outstanding physical prowess. She was intelligent, perceptive, and personable, but there was already a substitute for that in Uben.
'Both are clever, but their uses are different. If Uben is a staff officer, Lijin is a secretary.......'
Lijin's advantages over Uben were her freedom to go outside and her Normal Grade status. But once Jiha made it so Commons could also move freely, that gap had narrowed.
Realizing this, Lijin was trying to build her own unique domain within Jiha's organization.
Personnel management.
"Because I want your work to succeed, Jiha. So that other women don't get hurt by you, even if you make excuses or tell lies, please let me turn a blind eye and play along."
"Are you trying to act like the lady of the house?"
"......."
For an instant, Lijin looked genuinely wounded.
Jiha spoke calmly.
"......I'm sorry. That was too harsh. But it's something that needed to be said."
"......."
"It means you could get the wrong idea, too. If you do that kind of work, there's no guarantee you won't start believing you've earned that status. People aren't objective about themselves."
If he entrusted her with handling his women, it wouldn't be strange for her to think of herself as the organization's second-in-command, the supportive wife. That would absolutely breed discord. How many times in history had an emperor's politics been ruined by the empress's relatives?
Lijin swallowed a sigh and nodded.
"If I ever get that delusion and become an obstacle, then kill me."
"......."
"By then, simply casting me out won't be enough, will it? I'll know far too much. If I cross the line, if I overstep my bounds, or if I become an obstacle to what you're doing, kill me."
Lijin smiled bitterly.
"Just one thing. When that time comes, kill me yourself, Jiha. Just do that. That's all I ask."
"......."
Jiha closed his eyes.
He intended to do that to anyone, not just Lijin. His path left no room for generosity toward traitors or obstacles. But he hadn't expected to face a case where someone asked for it herself. Deubang suddenly came to mind. The guy who had been a traitor but, in the end, wasn't.
When Jiha opened his eyes, Lijin forced a smile.
"You're actually not such a bad person, Jiha. Cold, yes. If you were truly bad, if you were someone ruled only by greed...... you would have used this ability as you pleased. If you...... wanted my body, you would have bitten me long ago."
"I already did bite you."
"That...... was because of something I did wrong."
Lijin said that, then added with finality,
"A truly bad person would have tried to sweet-talk me. Instead of giving me a choice, instead of warning me about what's to come, you would have only said plausible things while trying to undress me."
"......."
"And earlier, when you only touched me and then stopped......."
Lijin's voice grew smaller.
It wasn't something a startled virgin could say aloud, but Lijin was like a fish served on a platter. Jiha had only to pick up his chopsticks and strip her bare. The fact that he'd chosen only to touch her and then leave—wasn't that an unspoken explanation? He'd given her room to prepare for her body's state, for what was about to happen.
Lijin, with her keen intelligence, had glimpsed Jiha's unspoken intent.
Jiha concluded the discussion.
"From now on, don't evaluate me in front of others."
"Yes, I'll be careful."
"And as for your request......."
Personnel management in an organization was always critical. Moreover, Leticia and Enril often clashed emotionally. They did need to be handled. If Lijin managed it well, Jiha's workload would be reduced. But did she truly have the ability?
"From my perspective, you just look like someone who knows nothing about male-female relationships and is talking nonsense. So, I'll test you."
"......."
Lijin must have long since braced herself for what would happen next.
"If you don't tell me to stop from here on out, I'll accept your proposal."
Lijin stared at his face, then approached with trembling steps.
"......You really are cold."
Jiha watched silently as the half-elf staggered toward him, unsteady. She didn't fall. She came to a halt in front of him, breathing hard, and looked up at him with a pitiful gaze.
"You could let yourself relax sometimes......."
Grabbing his collar, Lijin rose up on her tiptoes and lightly pressed her lips to his chin.
The woman's lips slowly traveled upward until they met his. An awkward kiss; her sweet breath flowed over his lips and into his mouth.
Lijin, who had been pressing her lips against his, pulled her head back slightly and smiled softly.
"My strong point is that I can keep my mouth shut, so you can be at ease in front of me......."
"When I touched you earlier, you didn't know what to do. Did you sort out your feelings while waiting?"
Lijin smiled bashfully.
"You caught me......."
Jiha wrapped an arm around Lijin's waist and bent down to kiss her chin.
"Nn, ah......."
A warmth spread the moment his lips touched her already-heated skin. As the man's lips traveled up her chin and across her cheek, Lijin flinched each time, her body trembling, her legs quivering uncontrollably.
She had barely managed to suppress her lust with sheer willpower and hold a conversation. But the instant their skin met, a cool wave of pleasure rushed through her, and the strength drained from her body.
"Nn......."
Jiha grabbed the staggering Lijin by the wrist to keep her from collapsing, his lips heading for her ear. The pointed tips of her ears—shorter than an elf's, longer than a human's—were flushed bright red.
"Haaah......."
When Jiha blew a breath into it, Lijin couldn't endure the ticklish sensation and turned her head away. But with her hand and waist held fast by Jiha, it was a meaningless struggle.
Jiha looked down coldly at the woman shivering from just his breath.
"Shall we see how long you can hold out?"
It was time to correct her manners.