Chapter 211 - I'll Be The Werewolf King If I Win
"You have to duel against me!" Grandpa Werewolf said to me in a loud voice and everyone who watched the discussion heard it.
"…aren't you dying? Do you really want to die quickly?" I asked.
Then Grandpa Werewolf pulled my head closer and spoke in a low volume so only I can hear him. Well, Victoria who's on my shoulder can hear him as well.
"That's the thing. You see, we are proud Werewolves. But over the years, other Werewolves don't have as much pride as we used to have. We love battle. That's true in the past, and in the present as well. But it has been a long time since we have a real battle with our lives on the line. We haven't fought for real in a long time. That's why our feeling toward battle is no longer the same. We used to think that dying in battle is an honor, but now, we just fight for fun without having to kill anyone other than our preys." Grandpa Werewolf said.
"Honor in death? That's stupid. I rather like the way it is now where you don't have to die. Don't tell me that you asked for a duel because you wanted to die with honor?" I asked.
"I don't have long to live anyway. My age has long surpassed the average lifespan of a werewolf which is three hundred years. I surpassed that by four times. I have lost too many precious things in my life. That's why I want to die with honor. If you can't kill me, you'll die. It will be a deathmatch. We will fight in the arena with everyone watching. Before I die, I want to show everyone the pride of Werewolves. Take it or leave it!"
Grandpa Werewolf release me and return to his seat. For an old Werewolf, he seems so powerful.
Let's sort out my thought first.
Werewolf King is decided by the strongest member of the race. And the strongest right now is Grandpa Werewolf. Even after over a thousand years, he's still the strongest.
Then about the Werewolf King in-name only. He's the third strongest, but looking at his face, he should be older than the second strongest, Shelia, and took over the King title before she was born. And since he's still holding on the title, I can guess that Shelia never fought him before. But Grandpa Werewolf and everyone seem convinced that she's stronger than the King. Or maybe they have fought, but Shelia refused to take the title just like Grandpa Werewolf?
No, let's think about the deathmatch instead. What could I gain whether I win or lose?
If I lose, I will obviously be dead. It's a death match after all.
If I refuse, then there will be no more discussion. And I'm no longer a guest and free for anyone to fight. After seeing how I blocked Grandpa Werewolf's attack, all the Werewolves watching should be itching for a fight with me to see how strong I am. Is that the main reason he attacked me in the first place? So I could have no way out?
If so, then he's wrong. I can make a portal and leave this place anytime I want. But that mean I will gain Werewolves' hostility.
Then the only choice I have is to duel and win. Give Grandpa Werewolf the honor to die in battle. I have to think of ways to win against him. And I also don't know how powerful a Werewolves are. I only know a bit of Grandpa Werewolf's strength from that one clash. And I think he's still holding back.
Let's stall for time. A few days should be enough.
"Hey, since we will be fighting, If I won, doesn't that make me the Werewolf King?" I asked. This time, of course everyone heard it.
And everyone laughed at me when they heard my declaration.
"Hahaha!"
"What is he talking about?"
"There's no way Grandpa Werewolf will lose!"
"Right! He has been the strongest for ages!"
I can feel how much everyone trusted this grandpa. They laughed at how I challenged the grandpa, and no one denied that I can't become the Werewolf King.
"HAHAHA! What are you talking about!? There's only one rule we obey. The strongest one is the king! I have always been the king for centuries. Since there's no one that could be a challenge to me, I delegated Red to be the king in-name. He is the smartest among us so no one denied my decision. As for you, like I said. Only the strongest can be the king! So, of course if you can defeat me, you will be the Werewolf King! Is there anyone here who disagree with me!?" Grandpa Werewolf asked all the Werewolves watching.
"""AWOOOOOO!!"""
And everyone answered by howling. I guess I will become the Werewolf King if I win. Can't they just say yes or no instead of howling? They are so loud.
"Then if I win, Shelia, you will agree to be my contracted monster, right?" This time, I asked Shelia.
"I will only obey the strongest! I'll even become your slave if you win against Grandpa!" She said.
"Umm… no. I just want you to be my… what is it? Friend? Partner? Basically, I will only have you fight by my side as long as either of us are still alive." I said. Although a slave is a tempting offer, I want a partner who will fight by my side.
"…"
Suddenly, everyone turned quiet. What's wrong? Did I say something wrong?
"Did you just ask me to be with you until death do us part?" Shelia asked with a blush on her face.
Wait, what!? How did it end up that way!? I'm asking her to be my partner… IT'S TOTALLY MY FAULT!
"Umm… no. I mean to say that you will be my contracted monster. That's what I said! Don't misunderstand!"
But no one seem to hear me. The female Werewolves are all squealing thinking that I just confessed to Shelia. How did this happen?
"…congrats, Roy. Another girl fell for your trap." Victoria said.
"Shut up! Well, it's not like I hate her. But does it always this easy to get girlfriends?"
"Your love life in your second life is in Easy mode. Other than that, everything is in Hell mode." Victoria said.
"I don't understand what you said. For now, let's continue with the discussion. I haven't finished talking yet."
I waited until everyone calmed down and about to speak when Grandpa Werewolf interrupt me.
"Alright. If you win, not only you will become the Werewolf King. You can also have Shelia as your mate. And not just her. You can also ask other Werewolves to be your mate. It's your privilege as the king."
"…I just want-"-
"It's okay. I understand. Shelia is a good girl. I'm worried that she won't find any partner since she doesn't seem to be interested in any men among our tribe. She will only obey the strong, but I'm the only one here stronger than her. It's good that you take interest in her. But you will have to fight me first!"
""AWOOOO!!!""
…seems like it's impossible to fix the misunderstanding. I can tell Shelia later that I don't mean it like this. For now, it's about the duel.
"Well, that's that. So, I want to make the duel even better. How about we have opening match before our duel? I'll bring my friends over so we can watch other battle before the main match, our deathmatch. Let's say… two battles! You will send two Werewolves and I will send two humans. They each will fight one on one before our match. That way, you can learn about mages."
And I can learn about what Werewolves can do before my fight. Though I won't say it.
Since Grandpa Werewolf said that they haven't experienced a fight with their lives on the line, I can guess that when they duel, it's not a battle to the death like what I will do with the grandpa.
This way, I can let two people gain experience in battle as well. Who should I ask to fight?
"Opening fights you say? That's interesting. How soon can you gather your fighters?" Grandpa asked.
"Well, probably two days. We'll return here in three days. You should prepare your fighters as well."
"Good! I'll be waiting!"
Sigh… I guess the negotiation is going well. I just need to have a deathmatch.
Wait, that's the most important part! How can I win against someone physically stronger than me with a millennium of experience?
I think I'll cultivate my air element before going back here. I hope I can improve my magic even by the slightest amount.
I opened a portal right to my room and all the Werewolves suddenly stopped and looked inside the portal. It's not the portal which interest them. It's the fried chickens inside the portal.
"Let's say that these are friendly gifts from me. Share it with everyone. I think my maid cooked enough for the whole tribe."
I take out all the fried chicken and put them in the center of the room. Everyone is drooling from the smell. And the three Werewolves who have tasted them is doing their best to hold back their appetite and jumped on the foods.
Then I gave Grandpa Werewolf a Blobby to put it somewhere I can transfer to next time I come here.
"Then… see you in three days."
I said my farewell and entered the portal. As soon as I'm in my room, I closed the portal.
"Roy, who are you trying to bring?" Victoria asked.
"Sonia!"
Instead of answering, I called Sonia to come. She's in the house so she should hear my voice.
"What is it?"
"Tell Albert that I have something important to discuss. Ask him if he's free so I can open up a portal to the palace. I'll ask everyone to go there as well."
"Okay." Then Sonia disappear.
"You're going to tell everyone that you get a new girlfriend?" Victoria asked.
"That's not it! I want to discuss who should we send to fight. And also, ask everyone to go there to watch the fight as well as getting along with the Werewolves."
"I see. But I will still tell the others that you get a new girlfriend!" Then she escaped from my room.
Sigh…whatever. I hope I can win the deathmatch.