Soulmates of the Soul (3)
As expected, the solution Jihye and I had put forward began to slowly turn public opinion in our favor.
Using the assassin as an excuse to bring Victor Hart into the fold not only quieted things down inside the royal palace, it also had the useful side effect of keeping Ito Souta in check.
Between the explanation of Yuliena’s functions and qualities, and Kasugano Yuno’s testimony, there was already more than enough to say about the incident itself.
The possibility remained that I had deliberately thrown the sword, but even that suspicion would vanish quickly—so long as Ito Souta wasn’t making the right kind of payment to the Holy See behind the scenes.
The only reason I was still wearing the label of suspect was the unique nature of the case: the first murder ever to occur inside a royal palace in the Holy Empire, and the Holy See’s desperate attempt to preserve the dignity of one of Japan’s major guilds. Nothing more, nothing less.
Of course.
All of this had been made possible by the current state of Lindel.
Originally, Lindel and Celia had maintained a relationship that wasn’t exactly hostile, but news that innocent citizens might lose their heads because they’d fallen into a trap laid by the Yamato Guild—widely believed to be the mastermind behind the Lindel terror incident—was not the sort of story most people found amusing.
Of course, the part about heads rolling was a lie.
Even now, they were sitting comfortably in their chairs and drinking something cold, but the important thing was that Lindel’s citizens believed it.
And naturally, that alone wasn’t enough.
The real goal was to distribute advance reports of the Yamato Guild’s Lindel invasion scenario and cultivate hostility among Lindel’s citizens.
Jihye’s media play, in particular, was so brazen it felt even more aggressive than mine, which was enough to make me worry the whole thing might actually spiral into a real war between Lindel and Celia.
The biggest problem of all was that the Red Mercenaries and the Black Swan were deliberately not restraining some of the more extreme hardliners.
Even a cursory look through the media gave me the answer.
Among those hardliners, the First Guild’s movements—somehow sounding disturbingly familiar—were startling enough to leave me speechless. Before I realized it, I was staring at Jihye and had no choice but to ask her what was really going on.
“Are these bastards really okay?”
“Yes. They’re just asking for money, so you can relax. The transfer went through yesterday. Everything is being done in coordination with our side, but… after seeing what they’re actually doing, I’m getting a little nervous too. I didn’t expect them to go this far.”
“A provocation that heavy-handed isn’t exactly a good thing….”
“The people in that guild are definitely strange, but the Black Swan is putting the brakes on them properly, so you can rest easy.”
“You know them personally?”
“Well… I guess I do, but only barely. We’ve had drinks together once. I thought they were too off in the head to get close to, and then who would’ve guessed they’d turn out to be useful like this? I was trying to stay away from those crazy bastards singing war, war, war… but I suppose the more connections you have, the better.”
“There really are all kinds of freaks in the world.”
“Yes. Pushing harder with a softer approach would be less effective, so this is actually better. Thanks to that, rumors that war is entering its final countdown are spreading quickly through Lindel too… so the reaction should come, one way or another.”
In other words, Lindel at this point was a bomb on the verge of going off.
In fact, merchants who had come from Celia were already fleeing Lindel as quickly as they could, in case the blast radius reached them, and even innocent major guilds from Taiwan were carrying out evacuation procedures for their own citizens.
Still.
“There won’t be a war. The Holy Empire is blocking conflict anyway, so how could war possibly break out? Relations with the Republic and the Kingdom Alliance are already strained as it is, and a direct collision between two cities is nonsense. For now, just let them do as much bombardment training as they want. The more they act up, the safer you get, Oppa.”
“Right. Since things have come to this, spread as much information about Yuliena as possible too. Especially toward Celia… say it’s a wide-area curse that even holy power can’t purify, and that research is underway into a large-scale spell capable of cursing an entire city through Yuliena as a medium—and that it’s already producing results.”
“Not bad.”
“Send outside war correspondents to Celia too and keep up the media play… ah, and send a letter telling them the First Guild is also developing mental assault strategic weapons and the like. They’re the type to talk big when they open their mouths. Honestly, it’ll probably be more efficient if the crazies move on their own than if normal people make the announcements.”
“Yes, yes. Got it. You’re already working on the Japanese media, right?”
“For now, I’m just stoking the sense of unease. Our shrine maiden is moving diligently on her end, so you don’t need to worry about Japan. No—actually, don’t worry about Japan at all.”
“You really are talented. How did you even get connected to Kasugano Yuno?”
“You want to know?”
“No. It’s fine. If she’s useful, then who cares who she is or where she lives?”
“I really like that side of you, noona.”
“A confession at a time like this?”
“Who knows?”
I could see Jihye slowly leaning her face toward me.
I straightened a little as well, and that was when I heard a heavy pounding from outside.
“Oppa!”
“Looks like it’s time.”
“Seems so. I should probably get ready too.”
“We’ll help you prepare. I’ve already told the Mercenary Queen, so please wait a bit.”
It was time to attend the evening social gathering.
For the moment, I needed to let Jung Hayan in from outside, so I headed for the door.
With a metallic click, the door opened, and Jung Hayan appeared looking a little different than before.
Maybe it was because I’d gotten used to seeing her in her hooded mage’s robes, but Jung Hayan in her social attire looked almost breathtaking.
She was wearing a white dress, along with a necklace and earrings.
Overall, she looked incredibly neat.
With a body as beautiful as hers to begin with, the dress hugged her figure so well it looked as though it had been made just for her, and the makeup on her cute, slightly dazed face gave her a surprisingly sexy air.
More than anything, it felt restrained rather than excessive, as though it had been used to draw out a new kind of charm she already possessed.
“You look beautiful, our Hayan.”
“R-r-really?”
“Of course.”
“Hehehe….”
Even while smiling, she kept sneaking glances at Jihye, who was sitting in one corner of the room.
She didn’t look hostile so much as grateful.
It was only natural for her to look that way at the person who had freed me from my semi-imprisoned state and made it possible for us to be together.
“Oh my, our Hayan is absolutely gorgeous.”
“R-really? Thank you, Jihye.”
“You seem a little more mature today. And the fact that you finished so early means you wanted to show yourself to Oppa as soon as possible, didn’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Such a lovely couple. Ah, I was just about to start getting Kiyoung Oppa ready too… would you like to wait outside? Or sit here…?”
“I’ll sit here!”
“All right. Make yourself comfortable.”
Once Jung Hayan took her place to the side, the real grooming began.
Honestly, I would have preferred to go as I was, but dressing appropriately for the occasion and matching the proper etiquette was, unfortunately, mandatory.
That said, what Jihye was preparing for me felt a little excessive.
“Everyone, come in.”
“Yes.”
I hadn’t expected the Black Swan’s artists—famous for having so many female guild members—to show up in person.
“He’s not especially handsome, but his base features aren’t bad, so let’s do our best. We can’t have our Oppa being looked down on when he goes somewhere like this, can we?”
“Yes, Lady Jihye.”
There was no point denying that I wasn’t exactly blessed with a handsome face.
Watching them swarm toward me in an instant, I let out a quiet sigh. Then I decided not to think about it too much.
Jihye would handle everything anyway.
“Let’s leave a bit of fringe in front. Makeup team, please go with an impression that looks kind and gentle if possible. Something a little wistful, maybe even slightly frail. Costume team, avoid strong colors as much as you can… I think emphasizing points will be better.”
“Yes.”
“Yes.”
“Not red. Did you hear me? I said to avoid it. He needs to look like a victim. Something noble ladies would feel sympathy for… make him look as young as possible… and not a suit—use imperial-style clothing. It should inspire a sense of familiarity.”
“Yes… yes. Understood.”
I knew appearance mattered. Consuming the image presented on the surface was, after all, part of politics too.
Still, the sight of the Black Swan staff sweating bullets while trying desperately to satisfy Jihye’s demands was a spectacle.
I even caught glimpses of former makeup artists, coordinators, and beauty creators from Earth among them.
I could see my reflection in the mirror, but to be honest, I couldn’t quite tell what was changing.
Yet Jung Hayan seemed to understand.
Her eyes, fixed on me without blinking, slowly began to grow unfocused.
That girl has always been like that.
“Hayan.”
“…….”
“Hayan?”
“…….”
“Hayan?!”
“Y-yes! Yes!”
Since she couldn’t even process my words properly, it would be no exaggeration to say she was changing into a rather lovely state.
“You finished everything I asked you to?”
“Huh?”
“The item we were sending to Blue, and the letter for the shrine maiden.”
“Yes. I handled everything. I sent it all sealed up tight with magic, just like you said, Oppa.”
“Good. As expected, Hayan is the best, isn’t she?”
“H-hehe. B-but, Oppa. Does that mean you don’t have to stay here anymore from now on?”
“Yeah. There are still some restrictions on what I can do, but if I’m able to attend a social gathering, that means they’re being pretty generous with me. It’s all thanks to Jihye, really.”
“Ah….”
“Maybe once enough time passes, they’ll even clear my name.”
“Th-that’s a relief.”
As I chatted idly with Jung Hayan, I realized some time had already passed.
Even then, Jihye and the Black Swan guild staff were still sweating blood and tears to finish my look, and the longer they worked, the more obvious it became that something had changed even to my eyes.
Huh….
For some reason, I felt like I’d turned into a handsome man. No matter how you looked at it, I couldn’t beat the face I’d been born with, but at this level….
I might actually be able to stand beside Hyunsung and not look too bad….
I was beginning to understand what people meant when they said clothes make the man, hair makes the man, makeup makes the man.
When they said it was nearly finished, I stood up, and once again my full reflection appeared in the standing mirror.
At its core, it was still a suit, but the imperial noble’s clothing, with all its ornate decorations, was definitely not made for ease of movement.
“Turn around once, Kiyoung Oppa. I want to see if it came out properly.”
“Yes, Jihye.”
“The ornaments are a little crooked.”
Jihye casually pointed out what needed fixing, but the Black Swan guild staff’s expressions remained bright.
She’s a fox.
The way Jihye sidled over and checked the final details of my outfit was like a mother tying the tie of a father heading off to work.
I didn’t know whether she was doing it just to show off to Jung Hayan or because she genuinely wanted to do it herself, but Hayan’s face was starting to show a faint, creeping annoyance.
If she’d just picked a fight outright, this would probably feel easier….
Jihye really was a master at slipping into Hayan’s space and lightly irritating her, all while pretending it was nothing.
“Our Oppa looks so handsome. Right, Hayan?”
“Huh? Y-yes….”
Even with something important waiting ahead, she didn’t seem able to stop provoking her.
“I-I’ll take care of the rest….”
“You’ve been sitting this whole time, so keep sitting. It’s better to leave things like this to a professional, don’t you think?”
She even wrapped an arm lightly around my neck and adjusted the back of my shirt, an action that felt pointedly aimed at Jung Hayan.
Cut it out, Jihye noona….
“There. All done.”
“Thank you, Jihye.”
“Don’t mention it. It’s only natural. Our Hayan is still young and doesn’t know anything yet, so I should do my best to support Oppa, shouldn’t I? It must be hard, having a girlfriend who’s so young. Hoho.”
The blatant provocation in her voice, the look on Jihye’s face—at that moment, I was certain we really were soulmates.
This is what support looks like, kid.
Her expression, as she practically shoved a giant middle finger in Jung Hayan’s face, was remarkably similar to my own usual expression.
“Shall we head out now? I should probably get ready myself too. Hayan, please take good care of our Oppa today.”
“Y-yes….”