Subduing the Wolf King
When the magic attack came at him, Victor smiled faintly.
Both were magical beasts, but one that could use magic was worth far more than one that could only attack physically.
He immediately leaped to the left. What happened next was astonishing: the flames actually curved after him, continuing their attack.
Without the slightest hesitation, Victor dodged again.
This time the flames did not turn again, but the Wolf King had already charged at him.
Victor drew back his spear. With a bang, the Wolf King was sent flying seven or eight meters away and crashed heavily to the ground.
Before the Wolf King could get up, Victor pounced on him and unleashed a flurry of punches and kicks.
In the blink of an eye, the Wolf King had been beaten until he saw stars and collapsed on the ground.
When the pack saw their king fall, the bloodthirsty wolves scattered and fled.
"Commander, you didn't beat the Wolf King to death, did you?"
As soon as Preston finished speaking, he felt Victor's murderous gaze and instantly realized he had misspoken.
If the Wolf King was dead, all their efforts had been for nothing.
The battle had seemed like an easy victory, with the Wolf King apparently unable to fight back, but that was not how it should be reckoned.
The Wolf King's fighting strength included not only his own, but also that of his pack.
If they had not relied on their superior numbers, Victor alone would have been torn to pieces by the pack long ago.
Even in individual combat, the third-tier Wolf King was no weaker than an ordinary fourth-tier knight.
He would be impressive to ride as a mount.
And when charging across a battlefield, he would be faster than a warhorse.
"If you're dead, then I'll butcher you for a stew!"
"If you're alive, get your ass up!"
As soon as Victor's words fell, the Wolf King struggled to his feet.
His eyes were still full of hatred, but for some reason his body no longer obeyed him.
He had originally intended to die rather than submit, yet when faced with Victor's command, he still involuntarily chose to obey.
Seeing this, Victor breathed a sigh of relief.
It seemed the Command skill worked on magical beasts as well.
It did not matter whether the Wolf King accepted it in his heart, as long as his body submitted.
Taming was a long process. If the unruly Wolf King had immediately started wagging his head and tail at Victor, that would instead have raised concerns about a possible scheme.
"It's good that you can stand. I know how hard to hit.
"I didn't break your ribs or give you any internal injuries. At most, you have a few superficial wounds.
"Once your injuries have healed, gather the scattered pack again and bring in some more wild wolves. The more, the better.
"From now on, the pack is not to attack people unless I order it."
Victor issued his orders at once.
He could vaguely sense that a connection had formed between him and the Wolf King.
He had a new theory about the mysterious crystal inside him.
In both appearance and function, it was simply too much like a godhead.
In particular, ever since he had won over the entire army, wisps of white mist had often appeared near the crystal, only to be quickly absorbed by it.
Whether it was the power of faith still needed further verification.
In any case, only his voice was now permitted to be heard throughout the Third Supplementary Army.
"Commander, without a contract, won't he turn on you again?"
Howard could not help raising the concern.
Wild wolves could never be fully tamed, and the Wolf King, an enhanced version, would be even harder to tame.
It was not as though no one on the continent had ever kept wolf-type magical beasts, but that had always depended on an overwhelming disparity in strength between the two parties.
Once their strength became comparable, or the Wolf King overtook his keeper, he could turn on them at any time.
Ordinary magic contracts could only forcibly bind beings weaker than oneself.
"Wolves fear strength, not kindness. Since I beat him into submission just now, he won't turn on me again anytime soon.
"Of course, there are still plenty of hidden dangers, so don't try to imitate me."
After spouting all that nonsense, Victor hurriedly added a disclaimer for everyone.
He could do this because he had a cheat.
Ordinary people who tried to imitate him were guaranteed to get burned.
If a beating alone could make magical beasts submit, there would probably be magical beast knights everywhere on the continent.
The mages who made contract scrolls would all be out of work. No one would buy their exorbitantly priced scrolls.
While everyone was clearing the battlefield, Victor acted on a whim, using the mysterious crystal to inject a wisp of white mist into the Wolf King's body.
A bizarre scene followed. The Wolf King's eyes turned bright red, and the wounds on his body rapidly healed.
Victor, who was familiar with illustrated guides to magical beasts, recognized it at a glance: this was a sign that he was about to evolve.
Unlike the hostility he had shown before, the Wolf King's gaze had softened when he looked at Victor after recovering from his injuries.
He walked over, promptly lay down on the ground, and rubbed his body against Victor's thigh as if seeking affection.
Through their faint mental connection, Victor understood that the Wolf King had merely had a taste of the benefits and wanted more of the white mist.
"All right, now that your injuries have healed, get to work.
"Get the job done, and you'll get your reward!"
Victor replied with a smile.
Sure enough, whoever fed him was his mother.
The Wolf King's principles counted for nothing in the face of evolution.
His intuition told him that just one more wisp of white mist would let the Wolf King evolve to the fourth tier.
His experience leading troops told him that things easily obtained were valued least.
Not only would they fail to be grateful, they would even complain that he had not given them enough.
Only after obtaining something through sustained effort would they understand how hard-won it was.
On this point, wolf nature and human nature were alike.
After sending the Wolf King away, Victor began inspecting the canyon.
The surrounding slopes were gentle and covered with many trees, making it impossible to conceal troops in ambush.
The enemy would notice something was amiss with even a little reconnaissance.
The pool in the valley covered more than two square kilometers, and its depth was unknown.
Streams flowed into it continuously from the mountains, but no water could be seen flowing out. There might even be an underground river.
That ruled out cutting off the water or setting fires.
As long as the entrance was held, this was a natural fortress that was easy to defend and hard to attack.
If they were holding out for reinforcements, this would be an excellent spot.
"Commander, a spot like this is naturally suited for a large army to make camp. If the enemy discovers it, I'm afraid they'll come here immediately."
Felix, who had come down from the hilltop, could not help voicing the concern.
Deep down, he could not help cursing Howard's entire family.
A spot like this should have been theirs to use.
If they gave it to the enemy, they would be on the defensive throughout the battles to come.
If they wanted to take the initiative and strike at the enemy's base, there would be nowhere to start.
"It certainly is an excellent spot, but only if the enemy isn't bringing large numbers of cattle, sheep, and horses!"
"The valley has more than enough room for tens of thousands of enemy troops, but if they also bring a herd of livestock, fodder will have to be transported from the rear.
"We all know how much the Tuwu People have.
"Their logistics system isn't even as good as the empire's.
"They've always fought quick campaigns. If things are delayed even a little, they'll have problems with supplies.
"Even if the local tribes give generously, they don't have much grain or fodder to spare.
"If the enemy really stations troops here, they'll have to send people out every day to drive the cattle, sheep, and horses to forage, then return to the canyon at night."
Victor laid out his analysis with a composed expression.
The fewer weaknesses a place had, the more easily it lulled people into dropping their guard, and the more likely an opportunity for battle was to arise.