The Mad Dog of the Duke's Estate-Chapter 178. The Tiger Clan (3)

A vast training ground stretched out before the chieftain's home. It was modest—seemingly far too plain to belong to a chieftain—but somehow, that felt fitting. Perhaps it was best described as a training ground befitting the tiger clan.

And at the center of it stood two men, a young human and an aged beastfolk. The young human held a sword in his grasp, while the beastfolk elder gripped a spear.

"I like your attitude, Caron Leston. You sure do fit in well with our kind," Tauga Rugal, the chieftain said, smiling as he pointed his sharp spearhead at Caron. He continued, "Are you ready? If you win this duel, I will give you my daughter's hand."

"You knew from the start that your daughter and I didn't really have any special relationship, didn't you?" Caron replied flatly.

"Of course. She has no interest in a wiry lad like you. She prefers men who are far more brawny," the chieftain said.

Perhaps because they had stepped into the training ground, Tauga no longer bothered to hide his true intentions. With a casual wave, he acknowledged his daughter, who stood off in the distance, watching with exasperation.

"I do appreciate you saving my daughter," he said.

"What an interesting way to show gratitude, beating someone up. Is this how the tiger clan expresses their thanks?" Caron asked.

Tauga chuckled and said, "You're getting chatty. Are you afraid?"

"Of course I am," Caron admitted.

Even if he unleashed the full extent of Guillotine's and Pluto's power, this fight wouldn't be easy. The only small mercy was that this wasn't a battle to the death. Even holding out seemed as if it would be a struggle.

Hearing Caron's honest response, Tauga pointed his spear at him once more. His voice lowered as he said, "If not for you, I would have burned that wretched city to the ground myself. At the very least, I would have torn its lord limb from limb."

"You certainly have the strength for it," Caron acknowledged.

"I heard what you did to that bastard. Branded him a traitor and sent his entire family to hell. That was clean work," the chieftain said.

He was referring to Marquis Leandro.

Caron merely shrugged and said, "I had a personal grudge to settle, that's all."

"I owe you a great debt," Tauga said. "This duel is my way of showing gratitude. For one who walks the path of the sword, there is no greater reward than this."

Whoosh!

An overwhelming surge of mana erupted from Tauga's body. In an instant, blue mana flooded the space around them. The density of it was suffocating. And strangely, it bore a resemblance to Azure Mana.

"When I was younger, I roamed freely, letting my battle lust burn just as you do," Tauga mused. "But ever since I rose to this position, I've no longer had that luxury."

"...You have too many people to take responsibility for," Caron said.

"That's right. A chieftain bears great responsibility. It is the burden of those who lead," the chieftain said as he focused his mana at the tip of his spear.

Whoosh!

A resonant hum echoed through the training ground as the spearhead was engulfed in a brilliant blue aura.

"It really is similar to Azure Mana," Guillotine agreed without argument.

Tauga was the chieftain of the tiger clan. Now that Caron thought about it, he had sensed a similar energy from Bataar, Tauga's son, and wondered about the reason for it.

"You have keen eyes," Tauga remarked. "You've already begun to grasp the nature of my mana, haven't you?"

"I have a lot of questions that I want to ask you, Chieftain," Caron admitted.

"The Leston family's martial arts and our beastfolk techniques share the same roots. That is why they feel familiar to you," Tauga explained.

"...Share the same roots?" Caron repeated, then recalled something Guillotine had once told him: That it was none other than their ancestor, Rael Leston, who had helped the beastfolk settle in the Plains of Rest.

"The Savior taught us both martial arts and mana cultivation techniques. While the other beastfolk clans rejected his teachings, our beastfolk accepted them without hesitation," Tauga said.

"Was this Savior perhaps our ancestor?" Caron asked.

"That's right," Tauga answered.

That explained the familiar sensation.

The Ocean Dominance Arts, passed down through the Ducal Family of Leston, had been developed by Rael Leston himself. If the tiger clan had also learned their mana techniques from Rael, then it was only natural that they would share a similar energy.

"So, the reason your people value strength so highly is because of those teachings..." Caron began.

"No," Tauga interrupted. "That's just how we are. Even our infants, the moment they learn to walk, throw punches at whomever annoys them."

"...And your clan has managed to survive well like that?" Caron asked, incredulous.

Tauga let out a low chuckle and replied, "Strange, isn't it?"

Caron clicked his tongue, then smirked.

Though the energy felt similar, the method itself was vastly different. To put it bluntly, the chieftain's mana was incredibly inefficient. It was condensed beyond necessity, unnatural in its flow, focused purely on destruction.

Is this closer to the original form of the Ocean Dominance Arts? Caron wondered.

Over time, the Leston family had refined their techniques, making them more efficient. It was only natural for any cultivation technique to evolve as generations passed.

"Take your stance, Caron Leston," Tauga said in a low voice. "To be honest, our clan is not wealthy enough to reward you with riches. The demonic monsters spilling out from the Eastern Great Forest are poisoning the plains, and our proud warriors are falling one by one."

The father who worried about his daughter was gone, but in his place stood a leader bearing the full weight of his clan.

"I have nothing to offer you, so I will repay you with my physique instead," Tauga continued. "I can promise you this—our martial arts are not shallow. Though we have walked a different path from the Leston family, this will be a valuable experience for you."

It was shameless, really. But Caron had no choice but to acknowledge the truth in the chieftain's words.

Two martial arts, sharing the same roots, yet branching in different directions...

No one could say which was superior, but more importantly, this was an opportunity. A chance to fill in the gaps within the Ocean Dominance Arts. Though it was one of the continent's greatest mana cultivation techniques, it was not without its flaws. If Caron played his cards right, this could benefit not only himself but the future of the Ducal Family of Leston as well.

I truly am lucky, Caron thought.

The odds of continuously stumbling upon such coincidences were low; it was almost eerie, as if someone had arranged all of this from the very beginning.

Caron shook his head, banishing those thoughts. Now wasn't the time for distractions. An 8-Star warrior was pointing a spear at him.

"Well then," Caron said, tightening his grip on Guillotine. "Allow me to make the first move."

Tauga threw his head back and laughed, then replied, "Haha! Fine, I'll give you the first strike."

Caron had gained many insights from his fight with Ugo, starting with sword techniques for facing strong opponents, along with various improvised strategies. It was an opportunity to fully internalize the realizations from that time.

"Prepare yourself, Chieftain," Caron said.

"Hmm?" Tauga replied, confused. ƒгeewёbnovel.com

"I specialize in beating up the elderly," Caron said.

Tauga let out another booming laugh. Then, grinning, he asked, "You little bastard, who do you take after? Your father? Your mother?"

"My grandfather," Caron said. "My parents are actually very kind."

"At least you're filial. Heh," Tauga said.

"I'm going," Caron said.

Without hesitation, he charged forward. Blue mana surged around him, intertwining in violent currents, as a raging storm descended upon the training ground.

***

Almost as soon as Caron arrived, word of his fight with Tauga spread like wildfire across Yurth.

And the reaction from the townspeople was explosive.

"What an amazing human!"

"I heard he fought the Chief on equal footing... Though I'm sure the chieftain went easy on him, isn't that still incredible?"

"Of course! One has to be at least that strong to be worthy of being our guest!"

Obviously, the duel had ended in Caron's defeat.

From the start, the match had been completely lopsided in terms of sheer strength. However, it wasn't a one-sided loss—Caron had managed to land a solid kick to Tauga's waist during the fight.

The result was that the two of them lay side by side in the infirmary, glaring at each other.

"You crazy brat! Who in their right mind kicks an old man's waist like that?!" Tauga roared.

"Well, you were the one who went for my groin first!" Caron shot back.

"That was—uh—my hand was trembling! It was an accident!" Tauga said.

"Unbelievable. If your hands shake so much that you can't even thrust a spear properly, maybe you shouldn't have challenged me to a duel in the first place! If I hadn't dodged, I would've been done for! I haven't even gotten married yet! At the very least, I should give my parents some grandchildren—" Caron protested, passionately defending himself.

"Caron," Leo interrupted. "At least you have a daughter already. I, on the other hand... To be honest, I think that's better."

The thought of a child that took after Caron made Leo shudder. The mere idea was terrifying.

As Leo muttered under his breath in disbelief, Caron clenched his fist and glared at him. He began, "Leo."

"W-What?" Leo responded.

"Should I tear it off?" Caron asked.

"Tear... what off?" Leo questioned.

"Do you want to die?" Caron added.

"...I'm still your older cousin, you know..." Leo replied quietly.

Caron let out a low growl. It seemed almost as if he was becoming more and more beast-like from spending time with the beastfolk. He was getting increasingly wild.

Leo decided that it was best not to provoke Caron further, because he was clearly insane. There was no need to poke the hornet's nest.

"Chieftain Grandfather, do you really have to be like this to someone so young who could be from your grandchildren's generation?" Caron asked.

"Grandfather?! I'm only sixty-two, you brat!" Tauga snapped.

"Then why do you look like that? And what's with the hair?" Caron asked disrespectfully.

"This is just my natural fur color, you idiot! Didn't you see during the fight?" Tauga replied.

"Oh," Caron responded.

Indeed, when Tauga had unleashed his mana, his white fur had momentarily become more prominent.

"Now that I think about it, you didn't even use the power of Beast Transformation. Don't beastfolk usually fight in that state?" Caron asked.

Tauga scoffed and said, "I had no need to show my true form to a mere brat. If I had transformed, I would've swallowed you whole in an instant—"

Smack!

Tauga's provocative remark was cut short as his daughter, Adina, delivered a merciless slap to his back.

"Ugh—!" Tauga reacted.

"How pathetic, absolutely pathetic. Dad, can you please stop embarrassing yourself in front of other people?" Adina said.

"You... You're already taking his side?!" Tauga whined.

"Do you want another slap?" Adina asked.

"...I'm sorry," Tauga answered quietly.

Faced with his daughter's wrath, Tauga immediately shrank back in defeat.

Adina let out an exasperated sigh before turning to Caron and asking, "Are you okay? Sorry about my father. He's always like this."

"Well, the chieftain is certainly..." Caron paused.

"He is...?" Adina repeated.

"...Nothing, nothing." Caron stopped himself just in time—he couldn't bring himself to badmouth someone's father right in front of them.

If it were Leo, he wouldn't have hesitated for a second to complain about his uncle. But he and Adina weren't that close, so he swallowed the words that had almost slipped out.

Leo, meanwhile, looked at Adina in admiration and muttered, "You're truly incredible, Adina."

"All of a sudden?" Adina asked, confused.

"I mean, subduing Caron is no easy feat. You're... You're truly amazing," Leo answered.

"Leo," Caron interjected. "I wasn't subdued, I just let it slide this time."

"That's the same thing," Leo said.

Caron sighed deeply and waved his hand, then said, "Could you two step outside for a moment? I have something important to discuss with the Chieftain."

Tauga immediately spoke up, as if he'd been waiting for this. "Yes, the two of you, leave us."

"...You're not going to fight again, are you?" Adina asked, suspicious.

"Of course not. What happens in the training ground stays in the training ground. That is the way of a true warrior. Right, Caron Leston?" Tauga asked.

"Absolutely, Chieftain," Caron agreed.

Adina still looked unconvinced, but eventually nodded and said, "Fine. Leo, let's go for a walk outside."

"Sounds good to me," Leo replied.

With that, the two left the infirmary, leaving only Caron and Tauga behind. A brief silence settled between them.

Then, Tauga slowly sat up in bed and fixed Caron with a complicated expression. He said, "...Let me ask you one thing, brat."

"Go ahead, old man," Caron replied.

Tauga took a moment to choose his words carefully. Then, in a low, serious voice, he finally asked...

"...What are you?"

There was more weight to that question than words alone could convey.