How to Raise a Dumb Wolf - Chapter 95

At last, the day of Les’s first formal match arrived.

His position in the rotation came relatively late, so this was his first match since advancing to the formal tournament. It was the first match of the afternoon, with warm sunlight and an equally heated atmosphere. Even so, the enormous stadium was packed. The spectators who had come to see a championship favorite were exceptionally excited, and the noise had not stopped since the gates opened.

Aisha was not seated in the stands. Her position was unusual: beside the arena, near the judges’ side but without a raised platform, so it did not stand out as much. Ordinary staff members constantly passed nearby, and several people sat close to her. In a sense, this was the finest seat in the stadium. She had an unobstructed view of the competitors and was even closer than the judges and invited guests. But unlike the staff around her in dark-blue uniforms, Aisha wore a white dress. Her pale-gold hair was pinned up and carefully wrapped beneath a white headscarf. Those bright, pale colors made it easy to see that she held a different role from everyone nearby. She was a medical worker, and this was the medical team’s uniform.

Aisha’s request for leave had gone neither smoothly nor badly. It was something of a coincidence. She was only a volunteer, so taking time off was not difficult. Ordinarily, she only needed to inform her supervisor. But after learning that Aisha wanted leave to watch a match and did not know what kind of seat she might obtain, the supervisor abruptly changed course. Instead of approving the leave, the supervisor suggested that Aisha attend as an on-site member of the medical team. That way, she could watch from a better position, and if anything happened, the medical team could respond more quickly.

And so Aisha had come in the medical team’s uniform and headscarf, with an emergency medicine chest at her feet. It was rare for a member of the medical team to sit directly beside the arena instead of waiting backstage, and Aisha’s presence appeared to have attracted the attention of some spectators. Before the competitors entered, everyone had little else to do. Feeling gazes sweep over her from time to time, Aisha’s cheeks unconsciously warmed. Still, this seat gave her a better view of Les, so she remained where she was.

What Aisha did not know was that she had acquired a very small measure of fame during this year’s World Tournament. Though merely a student mage volunteering with the medical team, her healing magic was quite good, so she treated more injured and ill patients than the other volunteers. In addition, she was gentle by nature and had a face that inspired affection. Many injured warriors and mages remembered her, and when she occasionally entered the arena to assist a wounded competitor, some even pointed her out to other people. Before following Eric to the Kingdom of Micks, Aisha had also spent some time treating the injured at the Free Arena without charge, so regular visitors to the arena knew her—and those people naturally followed the World Tournament as well. Gradually, a fair number of competitors and ordinary spectators learned that the medical team included a gentle and beautiful young mage who was particularly skilled in healing. Her appearance today immediately drew attention.

Aisha, however, did not understand why people were looking. She assumed her seat and uniform had attracted notice. She had never been good at coping with too much attention, so to ease her embarrassment, she turned toward the judges’ seats.

Tina and Elizabeth were already there. When Tina saw Aisha, she gave her a slight nod. Elizabeth looked extraordinarily delighted and waved at her repeatedly. Aisha smiled and waved back. They exchanged a few words across the distance, and by the time Aisha turned away, she felt much calmer.

The two competitors were about to enter. The instant Les emerged from the preparation area, Aisha’s heart gave an involuntary throb.

For convenience, Les had once again worn the military uniform with which he was most comfortable. Though it made him appear somewhat stiff and old-fashioned, it emphasized his straight posture. His long silver-gray hair carried an inexplicable hint of austere wildness, and his sharply defined, handsome features possessed a difficult-to-describe quality despite their lack of warmth. His gaze met Aisha’s across the arena. Apparently he had not expected her to be seated there. His body paused almost imperceptibly, and his expression softened by an equally imperceptible degree before he gave her the faintest nod.

Aisha smiled in response. No one else could likely perceive such a subtle exchange, but… her cheeks still grew a little warmer. His mere appearance filled her with tenderness and happiness. Remembering how they had nestled together the previous evening in a sweet embrace, kissing each other, her arms looped around his neck while his encircled her waist and supported the back of her head, Aisha fell helplessly into private embarrassment—as if the images flashing through her mind might somehow be exposed to everyone present.

…

The match soon began.

Les’s opponent was another young, powerfully built beastfolk warrior whose beast form was a brown bear. It made his human form extraordinarily tall and imposing. At first glance, he looked like a mountain of muscle, every inch of him radiating raw power.

He had plainly heard of Major General Wolf. He appeared both honored and excited by the match, with a trace of ambition he would not easily confess. When the firework burst, the brown-bear beastfolk, still in human form, threw back his head with an earthshaking roar and charged Les, creating an astonishing spectacle by sight alone.

Yet instead of the fierce struggle everyone expected, a one-sided assault soon began.

Neither beastfolk used weapons, but Les was clearly more skilled in technique. His opponent’s exaggerated physique did not shake him in the slightest; not even an eyebrow moved. It was as though the burly warrior charged at Les while Major General Wolf stood upright and motionless until the man reached him—and then the warrior was dealt with. Les remained where he had been, his gaze calm, while his opponent did not even understand what had happened.

Les was not built like a hulking brute, but he could unleash astonishing bursts of power.

The next instant, the enraged brown bear shifted into beast form and lunged again.

Waiting to meet him was a muscular gray giant wolf with tranquil eyes.

A brawl between beastfolk warriors was perhaps the most exhilarating, powerful, and violent of any racial matchup. Aisha had witnessed Les’s exceptional stamina and powerful physique. She had felt the strength of his arms in human form and the power in his abdominal muscles. He could effortlessly lift her, carry her, or gather her into his arms in any manner, though his elegant military uniform usually concealed all that strength with perfect propriety. Of course, she also knew how fierce and formidable he was in beast form. Yet when his power was displayed in battle, it still possessed a force beyond words.

Aisha craned her neck anxiously. She knew Les held a stable advantage, but she still feared he might be hurt.

The brown bear’s ceaseless roars were savage and terrifying. The giant wolf made almost no sound, yet was more terrifying still. After several minutes, the bear’s roars grew weaker and weaker until they had almost become pleading yelps. He finally escaped from beneath the powerful wolf’s paws and tumbled away, hurriedly shifting back to human form. Before he could even stand, he clasped his hands together and shouted, “I surrender! I surrender! Stop! Stop!”

Boom.

At the word “surrender,” the firework signaling the end of the match shot into the sky and burst into a cluster of starlight in broad daylight.

The giant wolf stopped and changed back into human form. Les still stood perfectly straight. This opponent had not been enough to dishevel him. He gave a calm nod, accepting the result. The brown-bear warrior finally released a long breath and collapsed limply on the ground.

Les was uninjured; even his clothes remained undisturbed. His opponent lay gasping for breath, but Les had controlled his strength with precision, so the other man was not truly hurt either. He was merely exhausted in body and mind under the immense pressure and needed a good rest. Since neither required medical attention, Aisha relaxed. Only then did she realize that every muscle in her body had been taut during the match. Sweat had unknowingly gathered across her back, and her clenched hands had crushed the edge of her skirt into wrinkles.

“As his opponent has voluntarily surrendered, the winner is Mr. Les Wolf!”

Someone announced the result in a ringing voice. Cheers erupted from the stands. Then a staff member carried a beautiful bouquet of lilies onto the field and presented it to Major General Wolf. Tiny pink and purple blossoms adorned the lilies, and the entire arrangement was wrapped in delicate paper, exquisite and lovely.

These were the victory flowers.

The match had only just ended, and Aisha’s thoughts were still sluggish. It was not until she saw the bouquet that realization struck, and she immediately became terribly nervous. Her whole body went rigid. For a moment, she did not know whether to remain seated or stand. Les would surely give the flowers to her, and at the thought… Aisha felt both anxious and shy. She instinctively looked up at Tina and Elizabeth. Elizabeth appeared even more nervous and excited than she was. Tina’s expression was far less pleased, though she seemed to be restraining herself.

At that moment, Aisha overheard two beastfolk boys talking in the stands nearby. Perhaps because the surrounding noise was so loud, they were speaking very loudly themselves.

“Major General Les Wolf! Of course he won—there wasn’t any suspense at all… Who do you think he’ll give the victory flowers to?”

“There’s no suspense about that either. One of the invited guests, obviously. Either Princess Elizabeth or Tina Killott. I think Tina Killott is more likely! He can’t have any other choice. You don’t know this, but my father told me that Major General Wolf is famously single in the army. Outside of official business, he never interacts with women, and no woman dares approach him either. There’s an eighty percent chance he won’t marry before thirty-five, so I guarantee he would never—”

Aisha did not hear the rest. In truth, she was incapable of hearing it. Her mind had gone completely blank. She desperately tried to decide what she ought to do, yet could think of nothing at all. Meanwhile, Les had taken the flowers and was already striding directly toward her.