Kael had to admit that this matter was indeed urgent.
Nina was the first to express her concerns. "The right of a duel? Has that guy completely lost it?"
Kael couldn't help but agree with her. The right of a duel was sacred in the slums. While there were no official laws, the people had collectively agreed on certain rights to prevent themselves from descending into complete savagery.
The most powerful figures in the slums ensured these rights were respected, punishing anyone who dared to violate them.
The real problem, however, was who Gideon had decided to challenge.
The right of a duel was a way for warring gangs to resolve conflicts without total destruction. Each gang selected three of their most skilled fighters, who would then fight to the death in consecutive duels. The gang with the most victories would claim the territory and resources of the losing gang.
The defeated gang members were given the option to join the victors, and most accepted, as they often had nowhere else to go.
But this was where the problem began. Gideon's decision was reckless for one simple reason:
He chose the worst possible target.
Kael's group was a small unit of elite fighters, a setup practically designed for duels like this. Kael had been reluctant to invoke the right of a duel because, in his entire life, he'd never seen anyone actually use it. It was more like a myth than an active option.
Moreover, Kael's gang operated differently from others. They were more like a family, bonded closely, which meant that even if Gideon won, he would likely gain little to no new members.
And to top it all off, Kael didn't even have to accept the duel. Sure, it would damage his reputation a bit, but beyond that, he would be fine.
No matter how much he thought about it, Kael couldn't help but see it as a desperate gamble—a shot in the dark from a man backed into a corner, with nothing left to lose.
The ambush made even more sense now; it was clearly a last-ditch attempt to take out Kael before the duel. If Kael couldn't fight, Gideon would have a much better chance of winning.
Nina, who seemed to have come to the same conclusion, finally looked at him with a hint of curiosity.
"You're going to accept... right?"
Kael frowned, still deep in thought.
'I can't believe a man as cunning and wicked as Gideon would put himself in such a hopeless situation. Could the rumors be true? That there's internal conflict in his gang? Something so severe that he's throwing himself into such a risky duel?'
Choosing to ignore her question for the moment, Kael turned to the boy instead.
"Has he already picked a time and place?"
"Three days from now at dawn. He said the location doesn't matter, as long as it's at the border of the territories."
There was a minimum time limit for scheduling a duel, meant to give both sides enough time to prepare. Three days was the bare minimum, and Kael knew he wouldn't fully recover in that time.
Finally, he turned back to Nina.
"I think we might need to take a vote on this one. Normally, I'd accept without hesitation, but this time, it's your lives on the line, while I'd be safe and sound."
That, of course, wasn't entirely true. While he wouldn't be fighting directly, his life was still at risk.
Most of Kael's knowledge of the duel system came from stories he'd overheard during his time in the Colosseum. He'd never seen one in person, but it gave him a good idea of what could happen.
One scenario involved the leaders not participating directly in the duels. In that case, if the leader's gang lost, the most common outcome was execution—no one wanted to leave a disgraced leader alive to cause future problems.
Another scenario was when a leader died in their duel, but the gang still won the other two fights. In that situation, the second-in-command would take over as the new leader, and things would proceed as usual.
If Kael accepted the duel and his gang lost, his situation would follow the first scenario—he would be betting his life, even if he didn't step into the ring himself.
***
A while later, every member of the group gathered in the dining room. The space exceeded its intended capacity, with over a third of the people forced to stand. Despite the cramped conditions, the room was filled with an intense silence as everyone listened to their leader's speech.
"…so that's the current situation. We're going to take a vote now, and I'd like everyone to participate."
"Who thinks we should accept? Raise your hands now."
After counting the raised hands and double-checking to ensure he hadn't made a mistake, Kael announced, "Nineteen people."
Despite the outcome already being clear, Kael continued the voting process.
"And who thinks we should decline? Raise your hands now."
As no one abstained, Kael quickly calculated the numbers. "Fourteen people."
Slowly scanning the familiar faces, Kael couldn't help but feel a surge of frustration. He would soon have to choose the three challengers while he—the best fighter of the group—could not participate due to the wound he'd sustained from his own careless behavior.
But now wasn't the time to drown in sorrow. With a hint of acceptance in his voice, he made the announcement.
"Duel it is then."