SSS Demon King System: The Rise of a Dying Extra-Chapter 26: The Arrival of the Assassins’ Guild. (2)

After throwing that blow, Sköll felt a sudden exhaustion, as if she had expelled all her energy.

Still, she couldn’t believe it.

Her sister lay on the ground, dazed. Had she won?

"Did I win?" the young girl asked, opening her eyes wide.

"What do you think you’re doing?!" a voice thundered.

The girl turned, lowering her ears by instinct.

Had she done something wrong again?

"What kind of behavior is that? Where is your honor? You attacked your sister even after having lost. And what way of attacking is that? You looked like a wild beast."

Freki’s voice was severe, he seemed to roar each word.

"I-I," Sköll began, but didn’t know how to continue. She had won, right? Why was he acting like this?

"That’s enough," the old man’s voice then said. Garou, Sköll’s grandfather, could no longer keep putting up with that. "Freki, I know you’re now the village chief, but as your predecessor, I cannot allow myself to see how you babble such nonsense."

"What do you mean?" the man said. While he was annoyed, he wouldn’t ignore a figure like Garou either.

"In the first instance, if you really want your daughters to grow strong, you must set aside those stupid rules about honor and duels. Have you forgotten what we are? We are the Fenrir tribe. I know your master was a human, but you are not, and neither are my granddaughters," Garou’s voice was authoritative, but not threatening; he wasn’t scolding anyone, he was teaching. "Perhaps Hati is capable of following your directives. However, you’re not being fair at all with Sköll. She has a more marked instinct, she’s like her mother as a child, hahaha."

The old man stroked his beard. An image of his daughter came to his head: she was quite a whirlwind.

"You can’t impose a lifestyle on someone, you’re only caging them. After all, if you judge a fish by its ability to climb trees, it will grow up believing it’s useless."

"I’m aware. However, it doesn’t mean she can’t improve by this method."

The old man sighed.

"You’re stubborn as they come. I don’t know what discussions between you and Freya must be like, but I’m afraid to think about it," The old man approached Sköll, caressing her head gently. "I’m not saying your intention is wrong, but without a doubt your methods are... stupid, no offense. Well, maybe a little," he said quietly, winking at the girl to encourage her.

"What are you getting at?"

"You’re impatient, boy, I’m getting to it. The thing is, Sköll doesn’t have to learn to control her ’wild side,’ she must learn to use it, direct it in the right direction, and not let it take over her. She must accept it, because life will put many obstacles in her way, and surely she won’t always be able to control it. However, if she represses it, it will become so big she’ll no longer be able to control it."

Freki looked at his daughter. Had he been too hard? Perhaps Garou was right.

"It’s the same for Hati. She’s very talented, but she’s also very dependent on what she learns; she must learn to improvise, otherwise, in a real battle she won’t last a second," The old man approached Hati, who had already gotten up, to also caress her head. "You’re both opposite poles, so you also each have to learn from the other. Sköll did very well before, when she blocked her sister’s attack, but she’s not made for that style of combat, she thinks too much about it. Sköll, dear, remember this: if you want to use a sword, use it, but if you prefer to use your claws and fists, go ahead. A weapon is made to propel a warrior, not to limit them. If you feel more comfortable using your body, there’s nothing wrong with that."

The old man separated from Hati, while returning to Freki’s side.

"Whether you want it or not, we are half human and half beast. We can’t let our wild side get out of control, but we can’t escape from it either, and remember, they’re just children, children need freedom, to explore, to play. It’s not just about them having fun, it’s about them learning for themselves. It’s good for them to exercise, but if you pressure them too much, it could be counterproductive," The old man turned to see his granddaughters. "Go find your mother, girls, I have a matter to discuss with her."

"Okay, grandpa," Sköll said, somewhat embarrassed.

Hati however, only nodded and obeyed.

The old man waited for them to leave, while sighing.

"Aaa, I hope they don’t end up getting along badly. By the way, did you notice? Sköll used solar Ki, it’s impressive for her age."

"Yes, though it’s also dangerous. If she damages her meridians from misusing her energy, there will be no fixing it."

The old man rolled his eyes.

"You’re too negative, and I don’t understand why. You have a beautiful wife, two beautiful daughters, and you’re the village chief. What more could you want?" 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

The man seemed to hesitate a moment, then sighed.

"I’m worried about them, about what could happen in the future. You know only one can become priestess."

The old man opened his mouth, incredulous.

He knew what he meant, it was something that happened every generation.

When the priestess, whether of the moon or the sun, died, her descendant became the next priestess.

Then, someone could challenge the chief to combat, and take the priestess’s hand.

Thus the cycle repeated.

However, normally only one descendant of the priestess was born.

If the current priestess was of the moon, her daughter would be of the sun, and vice versa.

"I suppose what worries you is the prophecy," the old man said.

The man nodded.

When a priestess was born with both traits: sun and moon, she could remove the seal from the sacred temple.

Meanwhile, the priestesses were only guardians and caretakers of the temple.

However, the prophecy never spoke of twins with opposite traits. Freki feared that one would have to die for the prophecy to be fulfilled.

"Well, leaving that aside, I suppose you didn’t come down from the mountain just to give me lessons. How serious is it this time? I suppose you told Freya."

The old man sighed, with a tired look.

It wasn’t so rare to see him in the village, even though he spent most of his time on the mountain.

However, it was usually at parties, or social events like the first hunt of the three-season cycle.

When Garou came down, it was because something good had happened... Or something bad was going to happen.

"That’s right, and unfortunately, I don’t know if we’ll be able to survive," the old man sighed. "I should have acted earlier. I knew it was strange that those meddling mages had disappeared. I guess getting old took away my touch."

The man’s gaze darkened upon hearing those words.

"We must evacuate women and children. Shit! Why didn’t you warn earlier?" Freki reproached the old man.

"Well, I wanted to see my granddaughters one last time. Besides, they have us surrounded. They’re not an army, but they do have very strong members. If we had rushed, they surely would have been more violent... This way, however, I made sure that at least my granddaughters and my daughter could be safe... Though stubborn Freya will surely end up staying."

The old man closed his eyes, while sighing.

However, Freki looked at him with disbelief.

"Oh, do you think I’m selfish? Well, you’re right, boy, I am; but I’m no longer the village chief, I have the right to be," the old man laughed. "Wow, they’re already here, they seem to have a very dark Karma... this will be much worse than I imagined."

The hairs on Freki’s tail stood on end. He could feel it, there were intruders.

And they weren’t friendly.

Freki had never felt anyone with such horrible intentions.