In the center of Cho-san Island sat the master's white castle. The cubic foundation made of stone bricks was at least three meters tall. Stone stairs wrapped around it, leading to the entrance of the castle.

Before the pale wooden gate, a large patio was connected to the stairs. People, Kayamas and their servants, waited there as the servants inside the castle pulled down the haul ropes, opening the gate.

The castle was large, wide, and tall at the bottom. The structure gradually became smaller, narrower, and shorter toward the top. Skillion and gable roofs of a wider lower floor were attached to the upper narrower floor. Curved and decorative eaves extended out of the white wooden wall. Windows and balconies filled the gables.

By tips of roofs, edges of eaves, corners of windows, and finials of balustrades, thin sheets of gold covered the wood, glimmering under the bright sun.

Inside the castle, people gathered by the lobby on the first floor. A wooden stage was already built against the northern wall of the building, unlike the judges in the duel. The master and his family did not sit on chairs. That would simply be too informal for an event like this.

Five pieces of golden silk were placed in the center of the stage. Miyadaki Kayama, the master of the tribe, sat on the sheet in the very center. His shins were against the soft silk, and his calves were beneath his hips.

He wore a golden haori(outer coat) outside his lemon-colored nagagi(inner robe) and purple hakama(additional skirt). The embroidery of wyrms and phoenixes was sewn onto his haori in a lighter shade of gold. The electric light shone from above, glinting on his clothes and bald head.

Beside Miyadaki sat Kirane and his mother, Reiki. Kirane was in his usual outfit: a white nagagi, lemon-colored hakama, and light blue haori.

The rest of the two seats sat Miyadaki's loyal advisors. One was too fat. One was too slim. Both were wearing their jordy blue kimono.

Before the stage, there was an empty pale green carpet. It extended from the entrance of the lobby to the edge of the stage. People, Kayamas and their servants, stood nine or ten meters away from the carpet, waiting for the judgment to begin.

By noon, everything was ready. Miyadaki's brows were solemnly straight and horizontal, paralleling the long sides of his lampshade mustache. Not a trace of stubble could be found on his face, even under the strictest scrutiny.

In Habanese, Miyadaki finally exclaimed and announced the start of the trial, "Let the sinner and his companion in. The holy trial against the sin of interruption shall begin now!"

The doors leading in were opened. Hiroku Kayama and Loter Spawman strode their heavy steps into the lobby.

They stood straight on the green carpet and before the stage. As the translator, Hiroku stared his eyes rigidly and appropriately forward into the nothingness on the side of the stage.

Loter, on the other hand, had his innocent yet nervous sight meeting directly with Miyadaki's cold and condescending gaze.

"Loter Spawman, do you admit to interrupting the duel between the honorable Zayio Kayama and the honorable Hiroku Kayama and ripping their honor away from them?" Miyadaki gravely shouted out the accusation.

Hiroku quickly translated word-by-word, whispering into Loter's ears.

"I admit!" Loter shouted, and Hiroku exclaimed the same content in Habanese.

Miyadaki nodded lightly and continued, "Right. Do you admit to hurting Zayio during your interruption of the holy duel?"

After Hiroku translated it, Loter murmured, "What? What was that? I don't know."

Hiroku whispered back, "Zayio is the one I dueled with."

"I know. I don't think I've hurt him. I just punched his fireball, and it flew back. Even if he is hurt, that was an accident."

"I will tell the master. Hold on." Hiroku turned away from Loter and faced Miyadaki. He loudly said in Habanese, "Mr. Spawman does not know about the part of Zayio Kayama being hurt. I hereby beseech the great master of our honor-bathed tribe to provide the evidence that accusation is based on."

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"Very well," Miyadaki replied, "Zayio Kayama, please come forward and reveal yourself!"

A man with bandages almost covering his entire face and right hand walked out of the throng, standing beside the stage and between the master and the convict.

"You hit him this bad?" Visibly surprised, Hiroku whispered to Loter with his eyes not moving away from Zayio in bandages.

"I don't know. He did fall to the ground with his hands on his face, but this?" Loter murmured back, "I don't—"

"Shush!" Miyadaki shouted and commended, "alright, Zayio, go back to your spot." He turned to Loter and re-announced the accusation, "Do you admit to hurting Zayio during your interruption of the holy duel?"

"Hiroku, tell him I didn't mean to do it," Loter frantically whispered to Hiroku.

"Of course," Hiroku replied quietly in English. Then, he said loudly in Habanese, "Mr. Spawman claimed he did not hurt Zayio Kayama intentionally. He claimed it was an accident."

"Intentional or not, do you admit this thing has happened, Loter Spawman?" Miyadaki shouted louder than before, with a slight sense of rage in his impatient tone.

Hiroku translated the whole thing into English.

"I admit," Loter sighed.

"Mr. Spawman admits," Hiroku proclaimed in Habanese.

"Alright." Miyadaki took a second to arrange his breath and said, "Traditionally, offenses like this were punished with the ending of one's life."

Hiroku's half-closed eyes opened wide as he heard Miyadaki's words. His head whipped up. Ignoring Kirane's rage-twisting face, he gaped at Miyadaki as Miyadaki finished his sentence.

"However, considering the fact that the convict, Loter Spawman, is not a part of Tribe Kayama, it is only appropriate to make an exception. Hiroku Kayama, a close friend of the convict and a member of our tribe, will take punishment for the convict."

Kirane's anger vanished. A painfully obvious grin appeared on his face.

Hiroku took an extra second to process the master's words. He slowly tilted his head down. His facial expression froze.

"Hiro, Hiro," Loter softly called. He put a hand on Hiroku's shoulder, slightly pushing and pulling.

Hiroku faintly swayed a bit and turned toward Loter. Doing his best to hide the trembling in his voice, he said, "The master said he'll spare you."

Loter, with nothing happening on his face, just stood there and blankly stared at Hiroku as if he was lost in his thoughts again.

Hiroku softly called his name.

He vanished.

Hiroku also disappeared when Loter's hand grabbed onto his. Before the entire lobby could react, Loter released Hiroku's hand and canceled the invisibility.

"You're lying," Loter said, "and… You are afraid."

"..."

"..."

"The master has decided that I will take your punishment.."

"Wait, what?" Loter spent a second to process the information and yelled at the top of his lungs, "No!" He whipped his head, turning toward Miyadaki. His brows furrowed in fury.

Miyadaki's solemnness, sedateness, and condescendence were unchanged, unmoved, and unshifted.

Loter stepped forward and shouted, "I do not accept it!"

"Wait—"

"Hiroku, tell him I do not accept it!"

"..."

"Tell them!"

The crowd had already been filled with mumbling and conferring, yet these noises did not matter a bit under Miyadaki's presence.

Hiroku closed his eyes, raised his head as he inhaled a breath of air, opened his eyes, walked before Loter, and proclaimed in Habanese, "Mr. Spawman does not accept the decision."

Immediately, small but audible gasping responded before Miyadaki could. The master took his time, gazing staidly into Loter's flaming eyes.

Miyadaki's wife had lowered her head in order to avoid whatever was about to come out of her husband. The two advisors had their eyes glued to the master. Although they could only see Miyadaki's back, they had already sensed the tension in the atmosphere.

Kirane looked back and forth between his father and the two on the pale green carpet. There was no fear on his face but a mild anticipation. Hiroku, too scared to look at the master in the eyes, had his vision affixed onto the edge of the wooden stage.

The silent air had not a chirp of wood, a clink of metal, or a mutter from the throng.

Finally, Miyadaki spoke. His words were loud and firm. He said, "Loter Spawman's objection to the judgment is an offense to the authority of the trial. Yet, it does show he is not a complete brute without any dignity of humanity. 'A real man should never let another man pay his debt. Those who beg for help and salvation are not and will never be men but brutes, and to the greatest extent, women.'"

Hiroku knew the last two sentences were quotes from one of the old tribal rules. Yet, he could not fathom why the master was bailing Loter out.

Taking in another breath, Miyadaki continued, "Duels cleanse all our human sins, even for those who are not as honorable as us. If Loter Spawman is truly a man of honor as he acts to be, he should wash off his sins and offenses in holy duels. So, here I ask you, Loter Spawman, will you take the challenge and brawl with dignity? Or will you let your dear friend pay your deadly debt?"

Hiroku knew what Miyadaki was saying. He still could not tell what Miyadaki was planning. "The master wants you to participate in a duel if you—" He murmured into Loter's ear in English.

"Will that save your life?" Loter interjected impatiently. The anger was still present on his face and in his voice.

"... Yes."

"Then, tell him I accept the challenge."