Soulmates of the Soul (2)
There was no other way to describe the situation.
After shouting herself hoarse, Lee Jihye looked strangely relieved.
Guards were running around in a panic, trying to find their superiors. And sure enough, Jihye walked up to me with a faint smile and went on.
“All right. Then let’s say what each of us is thinking. You probably got the gist from that little scene just now… was the answer too easy?”
“Yeah.”
“Let’s say it at the same time when I count to three.”
“……”
“One, two.”
“For now, safety.”
“For now, safety.”
“Told you. You know the public opinion’s not great, right?”
“Of course.”
“Getting Yuliena back is the first priority. You’re the victim, after all. Honestly, it might be hard to get it back the normal way, so… as a backup, I think it’d be best to get help from someone powerful in the Holy Empire…”
“Victor Hart.”
“You know him?”
“He’s on good terms with Cha Heera. I can’t say for certain, but he’s one of the strongest warriors in the Holy Empire. If we get someone like him on our side, that’ll be more than enough to get what we want. No, it’ll be more than enough, period.”
Of course, what Jihye and I wanted was not simply safety. What we really wanted was…
Turning public opinion upside down.
That was the first goal.
Even the smallest thing could start the change.
At the moment, public opinion in the royal palace was fixated on the sudden murder case.
Rumors that I had been locked up by the guards were hardly welcome news.
But…
If the public started seeing me as someone under protection, everything would change.
It wouldn’t be the guards imprisoning me anymore; it would be Victor Hart, the empire’s greatest warrior, protecting me.
The target people latched onto would simply change, but even that alone would be enough to flip public opinion as easily as turning over one’s palm.
“After all, the one whose life is being threatened here is you, Oppa.”
“I’m in a very dangerous state. It can’t be helped. It would also work if I were under the protection of the Mercenary Queen or the saintess, but since the person involved is from the Holy Empire, getting their help will probably be more effective for appearances. We don’t know when an assassin from Yamato might show up, so we might as well use that as leverage.”
“You’re also thinking about poking at Lindel, aren’t you?”
“Correct.”
“Using the media to stir up anti-Japanese sentiment would be easy enough, but this still worries me a little.”
“The Yamato Guild, the main culprit behind the Lindel terror incident, persecuted and threatened Lee Kiyoung of the Blue Guild, who had done nothing wrong. During that process, an unavoidable incident occurred, and the victim who was falsely accused was forced to stand trial instead. How’s that? Or, if you want it a little more provocative: an innocent Korean man on the verge of being sent to the guillotine. Something like that?”
“Not bad. But this is going to have a much bigger ripple effect than you think. You know that, right?”
“Of course. That’s what I was aiming for from the start.”
“In the first place, punishing you will be the same as punishing Lindel.”
“And from the Holy Empire’s perspective, since they hate internal discord, touching you will become even more troublesome than it is now. You really know how to protect your own skin. I kind of like that about you….”
“Your tastes are bizarre.”
“I already told you. I like ambitious men, and if I can, I’d rather have a filthy power broker like you.”
“We’re two of a kind.”
“I do feel a little bad about stirring up trouble here… but I guess a war is better than you dying.”
“Wars don’t break out that easily.”
“I think so too, but… well, come to think of it, that’s none of my business. Honestly, I thought it would’ve been fine if you handled everything alone, but the fact that you’re going out of your way to start this through a proxy like me means you must have your own reasons?”
“Of course. Sorry, but I’m going to need you to do a little work.”
“I was already planning to, Oppa. In fact, it’s more effective if the victim doesn’t step forward personally… it’s better if the representative of a major guild handles it. So just rest easy.”
“You’ll be fine without my help?”
“Of course. Stuff like this is easier when you’re working alone.”
There was no question that Jihye was capable; I already knew that much.
That said, it was still nerve-racking when it wasn’t in my own hands.
I had briefly wondered whether I should lend a hand when it came to bringing in Victor Hart, our Heera noona’s old friend, but…
Before two full days had even passed, I was forced to recognize the greatness of Lee Jihye’s complaint skills.
Nice.
Good. Good. Good.
She’s the best, Lee Jihye.
Jihye noona! Fighting!
She was combing through every corner of the place and shaking down the Holy Empire’s lapdogs like she’d taken over as the general of an army, to the point that it almost made me think of Lü Bu from the old Three Kingdoms era.
I’d expected something like this, but I never imagined she’d start from the bottom and work her way up from there.
To be honest, I did feel a little sorry for Kendrick and the guards.
I already knew how much they’d been looking after me.
They weren’t guilty of anything, but I also knew exactly what Jihye was doing right now.
We’re the victims.
That was the message she was hammering home.
The rumor that Ito Souta of the Yamato Guild was somehow trying to assassinate Lee Kiyoung of the Blue Guild had been spread through the royal palace for a reason, and the media play that followed was incredibly effective.
No—calling it effective was still underselling it.
The very fact that a powerful executive of the Black Swan was defending me, that the Mercenary Queen was protecting me, and that the saintess kept giving testimony favorable to me would already be unpleasant for them.
The keywords were safety, threat, and life.
Honestly, she’s good. Really good.
I was amazed at how precisely she could scratch where I itched.
Thanks to her, I was able to focus a little more on the work I was handling personally.
If it hadn’t been for Jihye, I would’ve had to put a lot more effort into dealing with the Yamato Guild.
There’s no wall that won’t fall if you keep pounding it.
Jihye was working hard, but Cha Heera was obviously slipping requests to her old friend’s grandfather as well.
I was getting impatient because things seemed to be taking a little longer than I’d expected, but it looked like we were at least racing toward the finish line.
And, as expected, it didn’t take long for the first piece to fall into place.
“T-The approval came through, Kendrick!”
The guard’s expression was positively radiant.
Kendrick, who had only been sweating cold sweat until now, let a faint smile tug at the corners of his mouth.
Given how much abuse he’d endured from Jihye and the proxy delegation, that reaction was only natural.
“Victor Hart himself said he would personally place Lee Kiyoung under protection. Yuliena is also scheduled to be taken back out today.”
“Good work.”
“Not at all, Kendrick.”
“That’s a relief, Lee Jihye. It seems the approval has gone through. From here on, Victor Hart will officially be protecting Lee Kiyoung. As I informed you, the investigation into the sword that casts curses is also complete, so we’ll return it for now… though I trust you’ll understand that some areas remain restricted. Especially when you’re separated from Victor Hart, Yuliena….”
“Separating the Yamato Guild members from us completely comes first, Kendrick. They are undoubtedly threatening my client’s life. The ones who should be suppressed are them, not Lee Kiyoung.”
“Yes. We’ll do everything we can.”
We’d achieved something even better than getting Yuliena back.
After the sound of the door closing, I could see Jihye come into the room and lift the corner of her mouth ever so slightly.
“Good work.”
“I didn’t think we’d get Yuliena back too, so the result isn’t bad. From now on, Victor Hart will be protecting you, Oppa.”
“That’s a pretty comforting thing to hear.”
One of the biggest issues we’d been worrying about since coming here had just been settled.
“I am a little concerned that your movement will be restricted, but it’s not a bad trade. Our Jihye noona is already moving, and having Victor Hart attached to my side will actually help with what we’re planning.”
“You still won’t tell me?”
“I’d rather keep it to myself. It’s more effective that way. You’ll figure it out naturally once things start moving.”
“How disappointing…. Well, as you heard, the restricted areas are going to start opening up little by little too. If you go out with Victor Hart, you’ll even be able to attend gatherings or services.”
“By the way, does that old man Victor have any prior clashes with Yamato?”
“I found out a little something… do you want me to tell you?”
“Of course.”
“You know the Holy Empire is split into the Emperor’s faction and the Pope’s faction, right? That grandfather is pure Emperor’s faction from the marrow of his bones. If he’s allied with Yamato, who’s attached to the Pope’s side, then they’re more like bitter enemies than anything else.”
“Huh. Interesting. What about Lindel?”
“Not bad. Stirring up anti-Japanese sentiment is easier than lying down and eating rice cake, honestly. To put it bluntly, if you get treated unfairly, it’ll look like a war is about to break out, so don’t worry. I’m guessing the reason that old man sided with you has something to do with Lindel’s background too.”
“Keep tracking public opinion in Lindel too.”
“You don’t even have to ask; I’m already on it, so don’t worry. More importantly, shouldn’t you start making your way outside soon? The other side is working hard too… I’m handling the church side, but because they got there first, I’m starting to see the limits of what I can do.”
“I’ll start making contact with the Emperor’s side one by one. The proxy delegation isn’t set yet, right?”
“Recruiting the empire’s people isn’t done yet. I’ll leave that to you, Oppa. If you’re the one moving with him, people will come swarming over anyway. It won’t be hard… and if possible, it’d be best to stay on good terms with Victor Hart too.”
“He already looks pretty close with Heera noona, doesn’t he? So it shouldn’t be too hard.”
“Hmm… so you’ll be going to the party tomorrow?”
“Probably.”
“A murderer attending a party with his own escort knight….”
“Anyone hearing that would get the wrong idea. I’m the victim, after all… you can be proud of it. It’s the result your noona built.”
I caught the faint smile on Jihye’s face.