29 This unfilial daughter seeks your forgiveness (2/2)

”Little duchess how might our tribe help you?” she continued speaking slowly with a piercing tone.

Elise shuddered slightly, she felt as if her motives had been seen through by the old demon but gritted her teeth and spat out her request.

”I seek to challenge the Ares to battle for the right to command the tribes!”

Silence reigned.

All the onlooking demons stood in shock, there was only one man had ever defeated the Ares in battle, and he was a tier one magical knight at the age of forty-two. Elise was still considered a child and despite rumors of her strength reaching the ears of the leaders of the tribe, it was doubtful how much gossip was to be believed.

The elderly demon gazed at the young woman in front of her with a sad look flashing across her eyes. She sighed heavily before speaking in a solemn tone,

”Are you sure my duchess? It is a fight to the death, and it is against our ways to interfere once the battle has begun. There will be no help if something goes wrong during the fight.”

Elise nodded her head slowly as she did not trust herself to speak without her emotions spilling out. The elderly woman guided her to an empty hut and told Elise to relax until the night when the tribal leaders would come together to start the ceremony of challenge.

She took one last gaze at the young woman sitting down on the straw bed with a stoic look on her face and left to inform the other tribe leaders of the matter. Elise stretched out lazily and lay down on the simple bed showing no signs of discomfort.

”I'm sorry that this unfilial daughter will put herself at risk dad…. I hope you can forgive me,” Elise muttered to herself.

She knew this was not the correct decision to make but it was too late to turn back now. The challenge contest was typically held every five years to decide the strongest warrior to crown as Ares. The fights were spectated by other members of the demon tribes but interference in matches was strictly forbidden under the penalty of banishment or execution.

Once the position of Ares had been won through raw combat skill and strength, the demon was now considered unshakeable in his position as the strongest among the tribe.

The Ares could still be challenged but only after a meeting by the tribal leaders to approve of the battle. Elise as the ruler of the land qualified to force the leaders to hold a meeting to discuss the approval.

Elise started to count her fingers nervously and took a couple of deep breathes to calm down.

She was the most powerful young magic knight in generations amongst the Blackwolf family, there was no way for her to lose…

Despite these reassuring thoughts, a small feeling of dread began to well up inside her.

Unbeknownst to her, a raven was circling the sky above the demon village and her mother was watching over her closely through the bird's eyes with an expression of worry and concern on her face.