Ch.67Chapter 67

Though competitors were driven away in droves, those who remained stayed vigilant. They realized they could be expelled without even seeing the Djin’s face if they made a mistake.

Having risked potential purging by the future chieftain, they couldn’t return without accomplishing anything.

The heirs looked at Jacken, who stood at the head of the wolf riders.

As the leader of wolf riders who rode large wolves like horses, he surely had a close relationship with the Djin.

‘If I could gain his favor, I could gain an advantage in the succession competition.’

Of course, the heirs weren’t foolish enough to approach Jacken carelessly.

Those in power rarely allow others to sit beside them easily.

Yakof, the third son of the Larsen tribe, approached a wolf rider with a golden bracelet he had brought for such an occasion.

“Excuse me, could I have a word with you?”

“Ask if you’re curious about something. The Djin has permitted it.”

“!”

When the wolf rider nonchalantly permitted questions, the heirs’ eyes lit up.

Didn’t that mean the Djin had anticipated this situation?

At that moment, the same thought flashed through all the heirs’ minds.

‘The Djin’s test might have already begun!’

With this in mind, the appearance of a wolf favored by the Djin seemed suspicious too.

Logically speaking, why would such a precious creature reveal itself to them?

The heirs trembled at the thought that they had been in the Wendigo’s grasp from the beginning.

“So what’s your question? If it’s nothing important, step back.”

“Ahem, well, you see…”

As the warrior frowned impatiently, Yakof cleared his throat, stalling for time.

Initially, he had planned to offer the golden bracelet as a bribe to curry favor, but if the Djin had anticipated this, it could backfire.

Yakof fingered the golden bracelet in his pocket, contemplating.

‘Should I give this?’

The Djin had already anticipated their questions and even given instructions.

Such a being would surely have anticipated bribes too…

After a moment’s hesitation, Yakof decided to offer the bribe. Upon reflection, a Djin wouldn’t refuse bribes.

Humans might have a slim chance of being incorruptible, but the probability of a Djin being so was extremely low.

Especially the Forest Djin, who was arrogant enough to drive away renowned summoners simply because they displeased him.

Such a Djin wouldn’t refuse bribes. He would surely accept them.

“Ahem. First, I have something to offer in exchange for answers. It’s nothing special, just a rather pretty bracelet…”

Yakof cautiously extended the bracelet to the warrior.

Novak, the firstborn of the Lefrune tribe, clicked his tongue at Yakof’s clumsy approach.

‘Tsk, offering a bribe, or rather a gift, with everyone watching.’

Bribes required appropriate timing and location.

When offering a bribe with others watching, even the most shameless person would refuse out of face…

“Oh, a golden bracelet? Thank you. Ask whatever you want!”

“!?”

When the warrior pocketed the bracelet without any shame, not only Novak, known as a cunning negotiator, but all the other heirs were shocked.

Even Shir, who had been composed, stiffened in surprise.

Did the forest warriors… not understand honor?

“Um… what I wanted to ask…”

“Come closer! You gave me a golden bracelet, I can’t let others benefit from this!”

“Ah, yes!”

As Yakof and the warrior began whispering, the other heirs grew excited.

Especially the wastrels who had long been pushed out of the succession race.

If they had nothing to offer, how could they be chosen by the Djin?

“T-take my jeweled ring!”

“This is a famous sword sold by a wandering summoner. If you trace the engraved pattern with your hand, it glows with each swing…”

“Give it here. I’ll tell you everything I know.”

As the unconscious dam of not wanting to fall behind broke, the heirs went wild offering bribes.

Of course, not everyone did so.

Miloshi, a red fox beastkin with a scar over his left eye from the Lefrune tribe, sighed.

What was it about power that made siblings act so disgracefully…

Miloshi shook his head, inwardly clicking his tongue.

‘Even if they get information this way, it will be worthless.’

The value of information comes from its scarcity.

In a situation like this, where even riffraff could obtain information, its value would plummet.

Frankly speaking, they could just follow the others without offending the Djin, so why offer bribes?

As a few others besides Miloshi looked at them with contempt or disdain, Shir observed them closely.

[These kids are no fun. There’s nothing more entertaining than people going wild for a taste of power!]

‘Not everyone is a fool like the humans you used to play with.’

When Freya grumbled, Shir rebuked the damned Djin.

To call such behavior “no fun” rather than showing goodwill…

Shir blocked out the nonsense flowing through his bloodline and memorized their faces.

If the Forest Djin wasn’t a fool, these were likely the heirs he would choose.

“They’re impressive individuals.”

“Indeed. Do you think the Forest Djin… I mean, the Djin Lord feels the same?”

Shir hastily addressed the Wendigo with respect and asked Jacken.

Jacken stroked the wolf’s neck and burst into laughter.

“There’s no need to address the Djin Lord with such respect in front of me. While my warriors and I are loyal servants of the Djin Lord, you are not, Summoner.”

[That’s right! He calls me ‘hey,’ ‘you,’ ‘trash,’ but shows respect to a Djin he’s never even seen… mmph!]

Shir irritably suppressed the Djin who had emerged without tact.

Why should he listen to such complaints when he wasn’t even Freya’s lover!

With a beautiful smile that would naturally evoke goodwill from any man, Shir displayed humility.

“When one enters the domain of the Forest Djin Lord, one must show proper respect.”

“Haha. I’m pleased to hear you say that, but…”

Indeed, a beauty’s goodwill easily broke down walls of caution.

As Jacken grinned, Shir, judging that his guard was sufficiently lowered, brought up what he wanted to ask.

“But… won’t the warriors get in trouble if the Djin Lord finds out they’re taking bribes?”

“Oh, that’s fine. The Djin Lord actually instructed us to actively accept bribes.”

“Ah… do you collect the bribes to offer to the Djin Lord?”

Shir thought this was quite plausible. Unlike what ordinary people thought, Djin weren’t beings who only sought mysteries.

They were beings who took whatever they could get.

So collecting gold, jewels, and various treasures that were useless to the Djin wasn’t strange…

“Uh, no. Those will be collected later and distributed equally among the warriors.”

“……”

Shir checked his golden ring, wondering if Jacken was lying.

The emerald embedded in the ring shone brightly, indicating that Jacken’s goodwill remained intact.

Freya whispered in Shir’s ear in astonishment.

[This really seems like a crazy Djin. Honey, how about we turn back now?]

Even Shir, who usually ignored most of Freya’s words, had to seriously consider it this time.

What kind of Djin would instruct others to accept bribes not to keep them but to distribute them among warriors?

Shir could swear that finding such a madman among humans would be difficult.

[Why give gold and jewels to such ugly kids anyway?]

‘I never thought I’d end up thinking the same as this one.’

But moving forward despite not understanding was a summoner’s fate.

Shir asked Jacken another question.

“I-I never imagined bribes would be used that way. But won’t releasing information like this cause problems for the Djin Lord in selecting an heir?”

Occasionally, in regions without Djin connections, fairy tales were told of kind children receiving blessings from Djin.

Of course, such things never happened. If they did, the Djin had surely blessed the child for their talent, not their character.

Not out of fondness, but as a warning to other Djin.

However, from Shir’s perspective, none of the heirs seemed to possess such heaven-sent talent.

What was the Djin thinking by revealing information?

“Are you perhaps spreading false information?”

“Of course not. Everything they’re hearing is true.”

“What exactly are they being told?”

“Hmm…”

Jacken stroked his chin, summarizing the core of the story. He had heard that summoners disliked rambling.

Jacken explained as briefly and concisely as possible.

“Simply put, the Djin Lord is a benevolent being who dislikes those who oppress and overwork their subordinates, so you should display a humble attitude.”

[…This really seems like a crazy Djin.]

“……”

Shir was disheartened by the fact that he couldn’t deny Freya’s judgment.

* * *

In conclusion, Shir decided to believe Jacken’s story.

Unless Jacken was a con artist capable of deceiving a timeless Djin’s eyes, his story, though hard to believe, was true.

[Honey, no matter how I think about it, the probability of that guy being a con artist is higher than the probability of the Djin being kind!]

…Of course, Freya thought the probability of Jacken being a con artist was higher.

A kind Djin in this world? Meeting a docile ogre seemed more likely.

At least ogres became docile after gorging themselves!

[As a Djin myself, I know that Djin can never be kind! Being born superior to mortals inevitably leads to arrogance!]

“But look around. Honestly, Jacken’s words make sense.”

The forest village they had arrived at was peaceful.

Farmers tilled the fertile land, sweating valuable sweat, while livestock grazed and fattened.

This sight, hard to find even in the warmest regions of the north, impressed not only the heirs but also Shir.

In fact, as a summoner, Shir was even more impressed than others.

The land, crops, and even livestock were clearly imbued with mystery, influenced by magic or Djin.

“At this level, it’s not strange that Jacken and the warriors show loyalty.”

[Honey! That’s exactly why it’s strange! Why would anyone waste precious mystery to provide such treatment!]

Freya, unable to contain her frustration, manifested in fairy form and tapped Shir’s head while grumbling.

Shir continued walking and spoke transparently.

“Maybe the Djin really is kind.”

[You’re joking, right? Even when I was just born, only foolish Djin captured by gods did such things!]

Freya shouted as she recalled her childhood.

In those days, one could indulge in mystery anywhere, but Freya didn’t miss that time at all.

What good was abundant mystery when gods more arrogant than Djin roamed the earth, using Djin as their tools?

In those days, Djin bound by gods swallowed their humiliation and performed menial tasks like enriching the land and controlling the weather.

That was already damaging to their pride, and now, compared to those days, mystery was scarce.

‘…Though mystery seems to be stirring recently.’

But the current scarcity was undeniable.

[Honey, I genuinely care about you! I even remember your name!]

‘Ridiculous. Does that mean you don’t remember my mother’s or grandmother’s names?’

Though Freya herself didn’t realize it, she had a talent for irritating people.

Shir, who had been listening attentively, felt the urge to throw Freya away due to rising anger.

Shir removed Freya from atop his head and said to her:

“Since we’ve come this far, we should at least pay our respects. And who knows? Maybe it’s not a crazy Djin but a kind one.”

[That’s absolutely impossible…]

* * *

“H-hello! I am Yakof of the Larsen tribe…”

“Your smell is terrible. You’re eliminated from the succession.”

“……”

The Wendigo spat out in disgust at the terrible smell emanating from Yakof’s body.

As Yakof stared blankly at the Wendigo, unable to accept reality, Geron called warriors to drag him away.

Shir watched this scene with a hardened expression.

[He really is crazy!]

Freya spoke to Shir with a serious expression, shocked.

For the first time in his life, Shir regretted not having listened to Freya’s opinion.