Chapter 190
Jingai Musume 190
Duel – part 1
Editor(s): Joker, Speedphoenix
“That sounds like an awful idea, dad . You ain’t even close to bein’ a match for Master,” said Lyuu .
“You’ll never know if you don’t try, Lyuu,” lectured her father .
“But you already did try…” She wasn’t very amused by her father’s antics . “Master beat you guys up pretty bad even though he was tryin’ not to hurt you . ”
The warwolf chief humphed and turned towards the man sitting beside him as if encouraging him to give his opinion .
“I am afraid that I do have to take milady’s side on this one, boss . We’ve lost any reason to be hostile . Lyuu is safe . I understand that you have your own thoughts and feelings on the matter, but I think that you should just leave her be, seeing as she’s both alive and happy . ”
“Shut up, Bijgal! You know you would do the same if you were in my position!” He crossed his arms and effectively roared in a display of stubbornness, a display that caused both his daughter and the man I a.s.sumed to be his aide to sigh .
“Thanks for trying, Bijgal, and sorry my dad’s such a blockhead . ” The exasperated pair began walking in my direction as they aired their grievances .
“Don’t be . I’ve long accustomed myself to the boss’ ways . It’s why he trusts me as his advisor,” said Bijgal . “Don’t worry too much about everything that the boss is saying . We’re all grateful to see that you’re still alive . ”
The first thing Lyuu did upon reaching me was apologize . “Uhmm… I’m real sorry about my dad, Master . ”
“I don’t really mind,” I said with a shrug . “This works better for me than sitting around arguing all day anyway . Especially if it’ll actually drill the G.o.dd.a.m.n point into that stupidly thick skull of his . ”
We left the inn shortly after the exchange in order to get the duel underway and over with . Our destination? The gra.s.slands, of course . I spent some DP and sp.a.w.ned an arena in order to host the event and provide us with some proper boundaries . It wasn’t anything particularly fancy; I went with one of the cheapest options available . Unlike the dungeon’s residents, the warwolves hadn’t expected the stage to suddenly appear out of thin air . The reactions that followed its sudden appearance were filled with so much genuine surprise that I couldn’t help but snicker like the haughty b.a.s.t.a.r.d I was . Heh .
Dueling Lyuu’s dad wasn’t something I felt, by any means, obligated to do . That said, warwolves seemed to be the type of race that prioritized strength over all else, so I decided to abide by their cultural norms and show off a bit, just to get the point across in a way that they would understand . And vent a bit of frustration because Lyuu’s dad is kind of a piece of s.h.i.+t and I kind of want to kick his a.s.s again anyway .
The dungeon’s residents seemed to regard the duel as a special event of sorts, one whose purpose was clearly, clearly, entertainment and entertainment alone . Leila had not only busted out the picnic sheet, but also decked it in a whole slew of homemade treats . Even Nell had nonchalantly started to dig in . Would you look at that? She’s already fitting in . Guess she must be getting pretty used to this whole dungeon life thing .
“Yuki, sir, I’m terribly sorry about our chief . Please know that, while he is our representative, this isn’t, by any means, how we as a people feel about everything you’ve done for us . I would just like to take the chance to apologize once again before the boss completely ruins your impression of us . ”
The so-called advisor, a warwolf who looked to be in his prime, bowed as he joined Lyuu in ridiculing her father’s behaviour .
“Honestly, it doesn’t really matter all that much to me,” I said . “There is one thing I’m kinda curious about though . ”
“And what would that be, good sir?”
“How old are you right now?”
“Me? I happen to be sixty as of this year . ”
Wut?
That can’t be right . He looks like he’s around forty .
I realized, upon scanning the surroundings, that many of the other warriors looked to be in about the same age group . Does that make all of them 60 too? Maybe looking younger than you are is just a warwolf thing?
“How old does that make the chief?”
“I think he’s around 40,” said Lyuu .
40? No way . No f.u.c.kin’ way .
“Is it just me, or do all of you look a good bit younger than you really are?”
“That’s just how we warwolves, er, beastkin, are, Master . We live longer than humans . It takes us longer to get old too . ”
So what you’re saying is that you’re basically elves? G.o.d d.a.m.n, that’s some high tier fantasy bulls.h.i.+t right there . Man, this really is another world, isn’t it? Well, I mean, of course it is . But Oh man, that’s a thought I haven’t had in ages .
Though I found myself lost in thought, I didn’t end up missing out on any part of the conversation . Lyuu had also momentarily paused to prepare her next words .
“Uhm… Master, I know it isn’t my place to tell you what to do, and I know that my dad’s a stubborn idiot, but he’s still my dad . And my tribe is still my tribe . So I’d be real grateful if you didn’t kill anyone…”
“Relax, Lyuu . Don’t worry . I don’t plan on losing you . But I’m not going to kill any of your friends or relatives either,” I said . “Just head on over to where everyone else is, sit down, kick back, and relax . This’ll be over before you know it . ”
Her cheeks reddened a bit as she gave me a bit of a bow before heading over and joining the rest of my family . Speaking of…
“Do your best, Yuki!” cheered Illuna .
“Yeah! Do your best!” echoed s.h.i.+ .
“No losing,” said Enne .
“Don’t worry . I got this!” I appeased the crowd with a grin .
“Let it be known that I am sure to mock you should you manage an unsightly display,” said Lefi .
“Yeah! Don’t do anything too silly!” added Nell .
“Woooow girls, thanks soooo much for cheering me on . I’m glad you’ve both got my back,” I said as I rolled my eyes .
The only individual who had remained silent throughout the exchange was Leila . She had quietly watched it all unfold with one of her usual smiles .
“You aren’t taking this seriously, are you?” asked Lyuu’s father as his eyes narrowed into a glare .
“Was I supposed to?” I asked, casually . “I didn’t have much trouble beating you guys up last time, and nothing’s changed, sooooo…”
“…You certainly do have a point,” he said with a wince . “But that means nothing!”
X . Doubt .
The warwolves had proven themselves inferior even to many of the forest’s weaker denizens . Even as a coordinated group, they failed to stand up to the monsters’ primal violence; many of them were injured in their encounters .
It wasn’t as if I was personally capable of defeating everything that lurked within the Wicked Forest . Many monsters powerful enough to thoroughly destroy me lay within its depths . But that didn’t mean I was weak . I was still far more powerful than the monsters that had crushed them underfoot . So much so, in fact, that I suspected I could handle any number of them with ease .
“Right, so about this whole duel thing . Were you going to fight? Or did you have a proxy lined up?”
“I would have loved to do it myself, but the honour belongs to another,” grumbled Lyuu’s father . “Lynaut!”
“Right here, boss!”
The man who stepped forward and entered the s.p.a.ce between the chief and I had a much larger build than any other . Wait, Lynaut…? So he was the one Lyuu’s dad was trying to set her up with? Yeah, I can see why she ran away from home .
If there was one thing I learned from interacting with warwolves, it was that dog ears did not work well on anyone with male genitalia . They worked on Lyuu . Her ears were adorable . But seeing near-identical structures on big, burly warriors filled me with the urge to throw up everything I had for lunch . Any artist willing to ill.u.s.trate a battle-hardened male warwolf likely would have been heralded as a heaven-sent genius destined to portray the grotesque .
“Yuki! I thank you! You saved many of us, myself included, from the verge of death!” His loud, booming voice almost seemed to resemble that of an over-enthused gym teacher . It was disciplined, and yet somehow naggy and obtuse .
“No problem,” I said . He’s one of the ones I healed? I guess that means he must’ve been one of the ones that almost got himself killed by some weak a.s.s monster . No wonder I don’t remember beating him up . He was already down for the count before I started swinging .
“But do not be mistaken! I have not forgiven you for fooling my fiance with your trickery!”
>Trickery
I mean, I get where you’re coming from . It probably feels like you got cucked . But still, you can’t be serious . What kind of self-serving bulls.h.i.+t is that?
While I wasn’t a fan, I could see why Lyuu’s dad had taken a liking to the weird jock that was Lynaut . And why Lyuu wanted to stay as far away from him as she could . The amount he shouted could have potentially made him come off as equal parts intimidating and obnoxious . Intimidation was a survival mechanism, one that suited this world well .
Those with loud voices, be they figurative or literal, distinguished themselves from the crowd . They appeared more reliable, and it was easy for people to see them as beacons around which they could gather .
“I cannot allow you to manipulate the woman who will be my wife any longer, Demon Lord! And that is why I challenge you to single combat!”
“Suuuure . ”
“Lyuu, milady, watch carefully! Watch as the man you will soon wed demonstrates the extent of his valour!”
“Wow, Lyuu . Someone sure seems popular,” I said .
“Good for you, Lyuu!” added Illuna .
“Why the heck would anyone wanna be popular with guys like that!?” shouted the maid . “And stop callin’ me your future wife! It’s givin’ me the creeps!”
“It’s okay, Lyuu! I understand you! You’re just far too pure a maiden to fess up to your feelings! You’re only putting up a front to hide your embarra.s.sment!” shouted Mr . Fit . “Can you understand her, Yuki!? Can you hear her heart whisper its truest desires!?”
“Nope . I’ve got no idea what you’re going on about . And frankly, I don’t really care . ”
“And that is why you are not worthy of her! A real man would be able to see right through her!”
Wow, uh… I honestly can’t tell if he’s really optimistic or just downright r.e.t.a.r.ded .
“…Sure, whatever you say . Anyway, enough of that . Pick up your weapon so I can finish dealing with your dumb a.s.s . ”
I was getting tired of his s.h.i.+t, so I made sure to throw in a taunt as I grabbed my weapon and a.s.sumed a casual, one-handed stance—if you could even call it that . My ‘stance’ was so sloppy that it looked even less impressive than what one might see in a third rate B movie .
He wasn’t using a training weapon . Under normal circ.u.mstances, I would have opted to equip Enne, but I ended up resorting to the wooden greatsword I had used earlier in the day because I didn’t want to run the risk of accidentally killing him . Now that I think about it, I could’ve just used her and kept her sheathed, but it’s a bit too late for that . She’s already settled down on top of the picnic sheet with everyone else . Oh well .
“Finish dealing with me!? Do not underestimate me! Use a real weapon! Take me seriously!”
“Nah, I’m good,” I said . “This wooden sword right here is courtesy of Lyuu . You should really thank her once all this is over . For saving your life, that is . ”
“Fine!” He grumbled, angrily . “Prove to me that you’re more than just all bark!”
With a battle cry, Mr . Fit raised his spear and began das.h.i.+ng right at me .