How to Raise a Dumb Wolf - Chapter 101

The moment Salman finished speaking, voices rose throughout the great hall.

“Ohhh, so that’s her!”

“What an adorable young lady.”

“So that is Major General Wolf’s type.”

“Well, well. I never would have guessed it of Les…”

Aisha, of course, had no idea that a gathering of beastfolk across the Divine Sea had just studied her with affectionate, gossipy eyes. At that moment, Les was holding her securely in his arms. Warm happiness enveloped her entire body, and an indescribable sense of contentment filled her heart. The man whose neck she had looped her arms around made her feel incomparably safe.

If only they were not in the packed Free Arena. She truly wanted to kiss him right now…

Just as the thought crossed her mind, Les suddenly released her. The teasing whistles and laughter around them became vivid once more. Aisha tilted her head to look at him in confusion. Les frowned as he glanced around, paused, then said quietly, “…Shall we leave first?”

Aisha nodded at once. Les had already lifted her directly from the stands into the arena, so they could leave together without taking a detour. Suddenly, she felt him take her hand as naturally as breathing and lead her toward the exit.

Seeing them leave, the spectators hungry for more gossip refused to surrender such a fine opportunity. Their cheers and whistles grew even louder. Aisha’s face burned scarlet, and her chest felt almost painfully full. She could not help looking up at Les. Major General Wolf’s habitually calm, solemn face remained as composed as ever, but his long silver-gray hair swayed as he walked, exposing ears flushed red beneath it…

Aisha paused, lowered her head, and pressed her lips together, but the corners of her mouth still lifted beyond her control.

…

Only when they reached the competitors’ preparation room backstage did the world finally grow quiet. The roaring crowd was shut outside the walls, as though it belonged to another world. Yet even with only the two of them present, Aisha’s heart continued racing. She did not know whether the excitement of the match had yet to subside or whether something else was responsible. She tried to steady herself, rested a hand on Les’s shoulder, stood on tiptoe, and lightly kissed his lips.

“That’s wonderful! Um… congratulations.”

Les gazed at Aisha in silence and found himself unable to speak. The blood throughout his body seemed to boil, all of it surging toward the future they might share.

He understood that this one match might not make Aisha’s mother truly like him. But merely having their relationship acknowledged, and seeing Aisha’s heartfelt, joyful smile before him, filled him with an indescribably powerful delight.

Les’s fist unconsciously clenched tight. Only after several seconds did it slowly relax. He swept Aisha into his arms and lowered his head to kiss her. She stiffened in surprise, but quickly recovered and wrapped her arms around him again…

This kiss was far more intense than their previous light ones. Without anyone watching, they could finally release all the passion they had been forced to suppress. By the time the kiss ended, Aisha was nearly out of breath. They drew slightly apart and looked at each other. The instant their eyes met, both grew shy, yet neither could keep from smiling.

“There is something else…” Les suddenly said, looking at Aisha with great seriousness.

“What is it?”

Aisha tilted her head in confusion.

Les composed himself before asking, “Actually, an elder who is very important to me has been staying on the island recently. He… knows about us and would like to meet you. Would you… be willing to see him?”

As Les continued, nervousness gradually entered his voice.

He had not mentioned the matter in advance because he had not known how the match would end and feared placing Aisha in a difficult position. Now that he had won, raising it felt somewhat more natural. Still… he could not be certain Aisha would not find meeting his elder too much pressure. When she appeared startled, Les pressed his lips together and added, “If you think it is still too soon, that is perfectly all right—”

Before he could finish, Aisha took his hand. His beloved girl looked up at him, smiled, and nodded with faintly pink cheeks.

“Mm. All right.”

The mere thought of meeting Les’s elder made Aisha’s back tighten unconsciously. Naturally, she was nervous and afraid, especially because her relationship with Les crossed the boundary between races. But Les had already met her parents and made an effort for their relationship. Aisha did not think she should retreat either.

After some thought, she asked, “Then… about when will it be? Do I… need to prepare anything in advance?”

“No.”

Les looked at Aisha in concern, still somewhat afraid she would be startled.

“If you agree to meet him, you will see him as soon as we leave the arena. He may already be waiting outside… Actually…”

Les paused.

“You have already met him…”

…

A dozen or so minutes later, Aisha walked out of the Free Arena hand in hand with Les. Carter III, who had long been waiting, smiled when he saw them and waved. Les paused, walked over in several long strides, and exchanged a nod with him. Carter III then naturally turned to Aisha with a smile.

“Hello, Aisha.”

“H-hello, sir.”

Aisha paused and responded hurriedly, unable to keep from growing terribly nervous as she looked at the silver-haired man before her.

This was not her first time seeing the much-discussed “William Nelson.” During her time volunteering at the World Tournament, she had occasionally gone out to watch the arena when she was free. Yet although he was not a stranger to her eyes, she could not help studying his appearance more carefully than ever before.

Unlike Les’s silver-gray hair, William’s long hair was a paler, more lustrous silver. It fell straight and smooth from the crown of his head, resembling a glittering waterfall beneath the sun. His age was impossible to determine. His features held exactly the right measure of maturity and wisdom, yet his overall appearance possessed an indescribable splendor and elegance. Perhaps it came from his unusual eyes, one gold and one blue, or perhaps from his exquisitely tasteful attire. He was neither tall nor short for a beastfolk man, and the fine cut of his clothes emphasized every advantage of his physique. Mr. William had already changed out of his combat clothes—though even those had clearly been exquisitely made and extremely expensive—and now appeared entirely at ease.

Aisha had already heard the circumstances from Les, but she had not fully processed them. She stared blankly at the man before her, her attention wandering unconsciously to his silver hair…

William had never displayed his beast form during the tournament, inspiring tremendous speculation. Some believed he considered his human form strong enough and that the swordsmanship he practiced made switching between human and beast forms inconvenient. Others guessed his beast form was so distinctive that it would immediately reveal his family, and he wished to conceal it. Still others thought his beast form simply offered no advantage in combat. Every theory had supporters, but none could be verified. Aisha was inevitably curious too. She cautiously studied Carter III’s long hair as her mind drifted.

He was beastfolk and one of Les’s elders. Could he be… a silver wolf or something similar?

Wait. Les had said this was the person who raised him… If he raised Les, then… surely… surely he could not really be that person…

Aisha’s thoughts went blank, and she bit her lip nervously.

She had naturally heard a great deal about Les’s past from both him and other people. For some reason, Les had not explicitly told her the identity of the man before them. He had only said that “William Nelson” was an alias. But…

Looking at the beastfolk man before her, Aisha grew increasingly uneasy.

Fortunately, he did not appear dissatisfied with her. Instead, he smiled in a friendly manner. “You are indeed a very pretty human girl. Les often speaks of you, and at last we meet properly. This child is not very good with words. Thank you for looking after him during this time.”

“Oh, no, I…”

Aisha faltered awkwardly, unsure what response would be appropriate. From her perspective, Les had helped her far more. When she counted it all… he had saved her several times and supported her whenever she faced difficulties. By comparison, though she dearly wished for opportunities to help him, they had been few.

Fortunately, Carter III did not mind her stumbling response. He merely patted Les on the shoulder. “You are luckier than I was, Les. Take good care of her, and treasure the time you have together.”

“Yes.”

Les nodded solemnly, and his response only embarrassed Aisha further.

After hesitating for several seconds, Les glanced around and frowned faintly. “Is Fawkes not here?”

“I sent him back to the hotel first,” Carter III replied. “The magic arrays preserving the victory flowers must be activated at regular intervals to keep them fresh… Ah, come to think of it, the World Tournament is almost over, is it not?”

Les inclined his head slightly. After a pause, he asked, “When… do you plan to return?”

“After the ball. Since I have come all this way, I will accept the invitation. But… once we return to Beast, Fawkes and I will probably take a little more leave and travel south… Ah, yes.”

Carter III had been speaking casually when he suddenly raised an eyebrow and looked at the couple.

“Speaking of the post-tournament ball, the two of you are planning to attend together, are you not?”