Ch.135King Maker #5

“…Hmm. Your situation seems quite complicated as well.”

After I finished my lengthy self-introduction and persuasion, the man muttered as if entranced.

While being described as someone who “goes around begging” might sound quite insulting in some contexts, I had no retort since it was the plain truth.

Eve also maintained silence with an embarrassed expression.

“Though I still can’t fully trust you… I suppose it’s only proper that I introduce myself as well. I’m Skevin. As you’ve already guessed, I represent our tribe in the Selection Ceremony.”

The man, Skevin, readily revealed his name along with the information that had been bothering me.

He seemed pleased that I remained calmly bound even after revealing my identity.

Or perhaps he was considering the possibility that my words might be true.

From my perspective it was absolute truth, but not from his.

“Yes. Well, thank you for telling me your name now at least.”

“Given the circumstances, it’s been difficult to reveal even my name to strangers. Please forgive me. Especially in a situation like this, when a foreigner I’ve never seen before comes rushing in offering help, I can’t help but be suspicious first.”

It wasn’t wrong—this was certainly a time when suspicion was natural.

I nodded impassively, understanding his sentiment.

As Skevin said, this was no time to quibble about rudeness.

“That’s understandable. I’m just glad to have gained some measure of trust.”

“Hmm. Thank you for understanding.”

Skevin nodded, then approached and personally untied the ropes binding my and Eve’s wrists.

Despite his words of suspicion, it seemed he trusted me at least halfway.

“Your untying the ropes… does this mean you accept my proposal?”

“If things unfold as you’ve described, I have nothing to lose. In fact, I’d say it’s beneficial.”

Thump. Skevin returned to his spot and plopped down with a mutter.

Though he seemed to have developed some trust, he appeared doubtful about whether I could actually help navigate the Selection Ceremony.

It made sense—trust in me and belief in victory were separate matters.

“If your wife steps forward, it wouldn’t just be helpful—it could potentially end this Selection Ceremony immediately. However…”

“You’re not sure whether I have the qualifications for that, right?”

“Yes.”

Skevin nodded curtly in response.

His suspicion and worry might have seemed excessive, but it wasn’t incomprehensible.

It was natural for him to be on edge, enduring on sheer determination despite his weakness.

Therefore, I concluded that I needed to demonstrate my strength to earn his trust.

Though it felt embarrassing and uncomfortable to flex my abilities, I had no choice if I wanted to dispel his doubts.

I thought that appearing confident to the point of arrogance might inspire belief.

“Then… I should prove that I can be of help.”

Having trained under Helena for nearly ten years, I could say with some confidence that combat skills had become second nature to me.

I intended to demonstrate through this that I could be of assistance.

.

“Hmm…”

When a shabbily dressed stranger appeared claiming to be a Grand Duke, Skevin didn’t believe him.

Perhaps in normal times he might have, but during this period of heightened tension, skepticism was natural.

Most of the Western tribe, including Skevin, thought so.

Being weak, they were subtly disrespected; having no power, they couldn’t claim a voice.

This remained true despite countless Selection Ceremonies throughout their long history.

They could only live by conforming to the flow of the world.

However, this only made the Western tribe increasingly resentful.

Though not quite exploitation or oppression, they were constantly pressed down and disregarded from their low position, so they unanimously agreed that this time they must achieve a different outcome.

Historically, the Western tribe should have been eliminated from the Selection Ceremony long ago—it was only through such determination that they had endured.

The Selection Ceremony required monthly visits to the capital to declare continued participation to the king.

This was an established rule, as the ceremony couldn’t proceed if participants remained secluded in their territories.

The Western tribe was no exception, and they had to travel to and from the capital to avoid elimination.

As a result, those intent on crushing the weak attacked them from all directions. Though no bloodshed or beheadings occurred within the capital itself, the routes to it were another matter.

The Western tribe was nimble but lacked technique and strength.

It was only natural that others would think to eliminate them first.

Such was the mindset of the Beastkin Kingdom’s strong, following the Selection Ceremony’s fundamental principle of survival of the fittest.

They fled, and fled again.

In the process, Skevin witnessed countless pools of blood spilled on the ground and saw severed heads rolling across the floor as he bit his lip.

Living on with mounting resentment, just to survive.

Though they were enduring for now, how much longer could they hold out?

Honestly, their endurance thus far was historically unprecedented and praiseworthy, but the images of heads and pools of blood that appeared whenever he closed his eyes pushed the small man forward.

With no clear solution, clinging only to the vague hope that perseverance might somehow work—at that moment,

A strange man appeared before Skevin.

It was Jion, wearing worn clothes that common people might wear despite his high noble status.

The Empire was secretly making contact with the Beastkin Kingdom.

He said he wanted to join hands with the weakest Western tribe to help them survive the Selection Ceremony, in preparation for any contingency that might arise.

When Skevin first heard this story, it seemed utterly preposterous, and even now, seeing the desperation in Jion’s eyes, his doubts hadn’t completely vanished.

But as he watched Jion step forward, offering to prove his worth, Skevin’s eyes gleamed with elation.

“Haah…”

That made thirty. That many men lay sprawled on the secluded clearing, eyes rolled back.

Though they had no major wounds, they were unconscious from the impact of Jion’s fists.

While the Western tribe warriors might lack technique, they did have the basics, and they had attacked in numbers targeting a single person, which must have been quite challenging.

Until now, when it had been a battle of numbers against numbers, they had no choice but to be pushed back, but this time was different.

Most could simply target one person.

Yet Jion had only a bit of sweat on his forehead and not a single scratch.

Despite every opponent wielding a dagger.

“Ahem. My wife is a master, so I received her training. Though it’s embarrassing for me…”

After defeating all the remaining warriors, Jion wiped a drop of sweat from his forehead as he spoke.

Skevin felt a chill down his spine watching him.

He finally understood what it meant to have a Sword Master as a wife.

Moreover, Eve’s spirit magic and its applications left him dumbfounded.

The thought crossed his mind that Eve alone might be able to face an army.

While they might be an opportunity for us, we are also an opportunity for them.

Thinking this, Skevin cast aside his sharp nerves and bowed his head deeply.

From his perspective, regardless of Jion and Eve’s true intentions, he had no choice but to reach out.

The mere possibility that they might go to another tribe was terrifying.

“This time, I’m the one making the request. Please help the Western tribe.”

.

Someone once said that showing once is better than explaining a hundred times, and that proved exactly right.

Not only did Skevin bow his head first after I defeated the Western tribe warriors, but the eyes of those guarding around him had also changed.

Since they had opened their hearts, we could discuss how to proceed, which felt like a breath of fresh air in many ways.

I also felt refreshed after being allowed to bathe.

“If you need to visit the capital once a month, when should we depart?”

“We’ve already gone this month, so that’s fine. The issue will be next month.”

As Eve was busy setting up magic circles around the building including the basement, I was having a one-on-one conversation with Skevin.

Thanks to this, he seemed to be expressing his anger and resentment quite well.

“I heard there have been many casualties.”

“Yes. They died for me, for the Western tribe. At first, they probably thought to quickly eliminate the weakest to reduce numbers… but because we stubbornly survived with sheer determination, they’re trying to crush us even harder now. It’s become a matter of pride.”

At first, they thought the Western tribe would die easily, so they tried to stomp them out.

When that failed, they developed a “look at this one” attitude, and consequently, those ambushing along the routes became increasingly fierce.

It was truly an unpleasant and irritating story.

“What a disturbing story. I can’t just listen and let it pass.”

“…Yes. That’s why I want to know what the Grand Duke is thinking and what we should do to help.”

“First, we need to think about what’s necessary for survival right now.”

Since they were ambushed every time they traveled to and from the capital, it was highly likely to happen again.

No, we had to assume it would definitely happen.

So we needed to prepare to counter these ambushes within the remaining time.

“Well… defense is progressing smoothly. It should be fine unless there’s a large-scale frontal attack. The problem is what happens during travel to and from the capital.”

“Yes. The Tiger and Ox tribes will be watching for an opportunity. They’re the strongest among the survivors now.”

Including the Western tribe, seven tribes remained in the Selection Ceremony, with the tiger and ox tribes being the most dominant.

This was a natural result of their inherently superior physiques, which had produced many kings.

Yet the fact that the weakest Western tribe intended to defeat such opponents and become king demonstrated just how strong their determination was.

“Do victors of the Selection Ceremony face retaliation?”

“No. Even if they’ve become mortal enemies, it’s natural to respect the surviving victor. Of course, not all buried emotions can be completely erased, but at least in the Beastkin Kingdom’s history, there has been no private revenge.”

They end things cleanly, at least on the surface.

Just as prey whose throat has been cut by a predator cannot voice complaints, the people here have similar thoughts, Skevin explained.

I felt relieved hearing this.

Even if things went well and the Western tribe won the Selection Ceremony and accepted our conditions, it would all be for nothing if the throne were usurped.

But since that possibility had greatly diminished, we’d overcome one future hurdle.

“That’s good to hear.”

“Yes. It’s fortunate, but… is that really all you want us to maintain?”

Skevin furrowed his brows, seemingly perplexed.

He appeared concerned about the condition that they should remain neutral rather than aligning with the Empire or Kingdom in exchange for our support.

“Yes. The Beastkin Kingdom’s non-involvement in any potential war is already a great help. Of course, it might be better if you supported the Kingdom’s side, but that would be too reckless, wouldn’t it?”

“Well…”

Skevin seemed to have no retort to this, trailing off with a disgruntled expression.

He appeared to understand that a newly crowned king couldn’t antagonize the Empire by siding with the Sotern Kingdom.

If he did, he might face countless hands of discontent and have to abdicate the throne.

In contrast, maintaining neutrality offered some room for mitigation.

The Empire might be displeased, but it would be difficult to take strong action against a nation declaring neutrality.

Since the Beastkin Kingdom wasn’t without power, the more pressure the Empire applied, the more likely they would face resistance.

That’s a scenario the Empire would want to avoid if they were seriously considering war with the Kingdom.

Ultimately, I believe that ensuring neutrality alone provides considerable benefit.

Plus, it’s more feasible.

“That’s why I’m only asking for neutrality. It prevents the enemy from growing larger and also applies subtle pressure.”

“Yes… that makes sense. Moreover, maintaining just neutrality would be less burdensome.”

“Thank you for understanding. Now, I’d like to discuss how to handle the immediate reality.”

“…You’re right.”

As I brought up the current reality, Skevin’s eyes sharpened like blades.

Perhaps it was due to seeing hope in an embittered situation.

I felt pleased at his eagerness, as if he would do anything I suggested.

It seemed things were starting to work out.

“I noticed during our earlier match that the Western tribe uses daggers as weapons. As I happen to know a bit about handling daggers, perhaps we could refine some techniques together. Would that be alright?”

“Alright? It would be more than alright! It’s exactly what I’ve been hoping for!”

“Oh… I’m glad you feel that way.”

Seeing the man’s face turn bright red with excitement, I found myself intimidated and responded meekly.

Perhaps it was his intense gaze and booming voice that felt so overwhelming.

However, since I couldn’t avoid the conversation just because it was uncomfortable, I composed myself and continued.

“Also, as I was making my way here, I noticed that the Western tribe seems skilled in carving. Would you be able to carve large wooden pieces as well?”

“Carving…? Yes, though I haven’t tried it before, it should be possible. But why suddenly bring up carving…?”

“I’m thinking of bluffing a bit.”

Skevin tilted his head and crossed his arms, seemingly unable to comprehend my cryptic statement.

Normally I should provide a detailed explanation to help him understand… but he’d find out eventually anyway.

So I kept it deliberately vague.