Chapter 61

In the silence that followed Naver's words, the new king spoke: "I know that revenge killings are forbidden."

Naver knelt before the new king. "Yes, but I wish to challenge the northerner who killed the head of my clan, not Suk, to a duel."

"It is essentially a revenge killing, isn't it?"

"Yes, but the House of Rwang has its pride. Even if the head of the clan was killed by a despicable means, it is a disgrace that cannot be left unavenged. Moreover, the northerner threatened to kill me while I was weakened by alcohol and took my wife with money. I beg you to understand."

"If the former wife was threatened, does that mean she accepted the assistance for the revenge killing?"

"That is the cunning of the northerner. My father was indeed the one who wronged her, and I cannot deny it. However, the northerner used the fact that I needed assistance to win as a shield and took advantage of my wife's desire to avenge her child."

"Indeed, you allowed your wife to be sold into slavery. But now you regret it and wish to make amends. However, you abandoned your wife and child. If there is a chance to make amends, and even if it doesn't work out, you at least want to free your wife from the northerner."

"It seems she has already been freed from slavery."

"The northerner called himself a debt collector. In other words, he has freed her from slavery in name, but in reality, he is binding her with an exorbitant debt."

"Hmm."

The new king said nothing, but the crowd sympathized with Naver's words. They had heard that the bat-type beastman had been forced to sell his wife into slavery due to his alcoholism, and that his wife had been threatened to kill him, and that the child wanted revenge. Even though she had been freed from slavery, she was still bound by an exorbitant debt. Naver's words were believed by the crowd.

The bat-type beastman, who was of a lower class than the peacock-type birdman, had succeeded in a revenge killing with the help of a northerner. This was a bitter pill for the crowd, who had always considered the bat-type beastman to be inferior. There were rumors that the bat-type beastman had no fault in buying the northerner as a slave, but the words of a bat-type beastman were not worth believing.

And now, they could not believe it either. They unconsciously feared that the bat-type beastman, who had allied with the cold-blooded northerner who used poison, might seek revenge for the persecution they had suffered.

Then, the former husband of the bat-type beastman revealed what seemed to be the truth. Naver's words, which exposed his father's wrongdoing and his own shame, were what the crowd had hoped for. The bat-type beastman was only being threatened by the northerner, and the northerner was the root of all evil.

The crowd, who surrounded them, turned their hostile gaze towards the northerner out of self-preservation. Igsidahan had indeed gone too far, but the northerner, who only thought of satisfying his own desires, should not have interfered.

The new king, watching from atop the royal carriage, spoke to the crowd as if to admonish them. A riot could be suppressed by force, but he did not want to do so if possible.

"Without any investigation, I cannot decide what the truth is. Therefore, even if this duel is established, it will not prove the truth. And since it is a duel with a third party, it cannot be considered a revenge killing. However, it is clear that the House of Rwang is forcing the issue. There is no problem with refusing the duel."

Then he looked at Zangin. "Therefore, whether you accept this duel or not is up to you."

While healing his hand, Zangin replied. "If I accept this duel, whether I win or lose, will the House of Rwang promise not to involve me and Yobi in any way in the future?"

The new king looked at Naver in response to Zangin's question. "Of course, I swear not to repeat the shame."

Naver answered without hesitation, but it was not the answer Zangin was looking for. "Not you, but the entire House of Rwang."

Noticing that Zangin was looking behind him, Naver turned around. The members of the House of Rwang, who were kneeling, showed clear hatred and hostility towards Zangin, who had killed Igsidahan. Since the revenge killing was established, any retaliation against Yobi would not be allowed. Therefore, it was natural for the hatred to be directed at the northerner who had killed Igsidahan. The northerner, being a northerner, was also an easy target for hatred.

"Besides, are you satisfied with being the representative of the clan? Well, the others are just a bunch of nobodies."

In response to Zangin's provocative words, Sunchai, who was kneeling at the front, raised his head. "The king has allowed it, but your rude words are unacceptable. And Naver, you who have been showing your ugly face until yesterday, what are you saying now? No one here thinks of you as the next head of the clan."

No one denied Sunchai's words. "I see."

Naver stood up smoothly and bowed to the king. "—I accept."

Naver turned around and drew his curved sword with one arm. The atmosphere around him changed, and the pressure increased.

"Anyone who thinks they are stronger than me, come forward. The House of Rwang is a warrior clan. The strongest is the one who deserves to be the head of the clan."

Naver swung his curved sword. A hurricane swept through the space between Sunchai and the other members of the clan. No one was injured by the wind, but no one in the House of Rwang failed to understand the meaning of the sharp slash and the amount of magic power contained in the wind spirit. The members of the House of Rwang, who had relied on Igsidahan in every way, felt that they could not possibly match him.

In reality, if Zangin had continued to attack from the air while Naver could not fly, he could have at least forced a draw. However, such a shameful act would not have been recognized as a head of the clan.

"—Sunchai, no one is standing up. What do you think?"

Sunchai clenched his fists until they turned white, but he bowed his head in silence. Naver looked at Zangin. "Is this acceptable?"

"Can this country guarantee it?"

The words of Zangin caused a stir around the new king. A duel was a matter to be settled between the parties involved. Unlike a revenge killing, the country or the king did not guarantee anything as long as the rules were followed. Therefore, Zangin's words were nothing but rudeness, even if he was a foreigner. However, the new king held up his hand to calm the crowd.

"Very well. Our officials have also done their share. After this duel, anyone who retaliates against Suk and Krand will be severely punished. Is this acceptable?"

Zangin nodded, and the new king continued. "Krand, you will be at a disadvantage if you fight consecutively. We can set a different date if you wish. What do you think?"

"I don't know who will do what to me if we set a different date. I want to finish this quickly."

Zangin's words were reasonable, but they also stirred the crowd and the House of Rwang. "Very well. Then let's state our demands."

Naver stated his demand without hesitation. "The pride of the House of Rwang and Suk's debt."

Zangin thought for a moment and then said clearly. "Our permanent safety and 250,000 pammits, equivalent to the debt of Yobi and Suk."

The members of the House of Rwang glared at Zangin upon hearing his demand. It was not an amount they could not pay, but paying it would leave the clan in a difficult situation. However, it was precisely what Zangin aimed for. Even if the rules forbade retaliation and the new king forbade it, and even if safety was the reward for the duel, there would always be someone who would seek revenge. Zangin thought it best to weaken them from all directions now.

"That's fine."

"I have no problem if that's what you want."

Zangin and Naver faced each other. "Wait—"

"—This is no longer your concern."

"—Suk, be quiet."

Yobi, who had been trying to intervene in the conversation between the new king, Naver, and Zangin, finally managed to speak up, but was clearly rejected by both of them. The situation had already reached a point where Yobi could not stop it.

While lamenting why the two had to duel, Yobi could only back away from them.

"Are you Krand? Is your arm healed?"

In response to the new king's words, Zangin opened and closed his hand while putting on a giant glove. "No problem."

The new king looked at Naver. Naver took off his birdman ceremonial robe, revealing the armor of the House of Rwang underneath. Both sides were ready.

"—Then let's begin."

Zangin drew his kukri. Naver, waiting for Zangin to draw his kukri, kicked off the ground. Zangin swung his kukri horizontally in a casual manner. Naver easily avoided it by slightly slowing down, then closed in on Zangin and slashed upward with his curved sword. Zangin, as usual, blocked it with his round shield. Just as Naver was about to launch a follow-up attack, he suddenly arched his body and leaped back. A large claw whizzed past Naver's nose.

"I thought we could crush your heads together nicely."

Zangin swung his kukri and pulled back the large claw that had been lying on the ground. The large claw itself was transparent, and the thread of the giant thorn spider that controlled it was also transparent. That was why Naver could only detect the movement of the large claw at the last moment.

Zangin sheathed his kukri and put the large claw on his arm. He had no intention of engaging in swordplay. Zangin manipulated the large claw, opening and closing it with magic power.

"…A troublesome weapon."

The large claw was a massive blunt weapon, capable of stabbing with its tip, and when opened, it could function as a hand axe or a sword breaker. Its hard shell could also serve as a shield. The mechanism was unknown, but the large claw was a more troublesome weapon than expected. However, it was supposed to be heavy, as the large claw of the multicolored rock crab was meant to be used as a hammer.

Considering this, Krand, the hunter, could not be underestimated. He used magic to compensate for his low physical abilities and fought like a normal human. Moreover, he had defeated Igsidahan, even though he had used poison. He was not someone to be underestimated as just a coward.

However, Naver was smiling while thinking about it.

Everything was due to his own weakness.

Until the ruins were completely explored, he led the party into the ruins and helped others, including Suk. But when the ruins were fully explored and he was no longer useful, the party and the people left him. He lost a wing and became self-destructive, drowning in alcohol and gambling. He begged his family for money and abandoned Suk and Dao.

He felt nothing